Silence Is Broken
by imdftmyba
Summary: K-Unit have been given a mission, get the MI6 agent being held in Carlisle, England. No other information has been included, what and who will they find. Rated T for language. Not much of it, but it's strong when used.
1. The Beginning

Heyy! This is my first ever fan fiction. Please be kind. Reviews and Constructive Criticism would be lovely.

Disclaimer: Not mine, just borrowing.

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><p>It was dark, everywhere. Outside on the field, inside, in a building that smelled of damp. However there was a stillness in the air. A stillness which made most people a little on edge. It was silly to think, but the air seemed to sense something was about to happen. Of course, little would know of what it was. The darkness was a good place to hide secrets. To put away all lost feelings. To pretend like nothing at all was wrong. However on this night, a particular secret was about to be revealed. Though no one quite knew what it was, as of yet. There was only one company responsible for the capture, one responsible for the fact a capture could go ahead, and one unit that was responsible for cleaning it up. Rescue. That was the instruction. Well, really it had more words inside it, but that was all that needed to really be said. Don't get yourself killed. Don't lose. Don't blow anything up.<p>

The dark corridor the unit was carefully and quietly making their way through, was one that reminded each person in the unit, that this mission they were on was urgent. Not just for the person captured, but so they could spend as little time as possible in the corridors. It had been a long wait for K-Unit before they'd been allowed to make their way into the old abandoned building outside Carlisle in the North of England. But, now that they'd been called into action the entire unit was ready to complete the mission they'd been set.

There are four men in total in K-Unit. Fox, Eagle, Wolf and Snake. Each man was in the team for a different reason. However it was up until recently that Fox had not actually been a part of the unit, it had been both happily and anxiously that he had rejoined his old unit for this specific mission. It had been by the orders of MI6, orders which admittedly had confused all the members of K-Unit. Despite the fact the unit had wanted the entire mission to be over and done with in a matter of hours, they had had to spend the better part of four days just waiting around for the signal to head in. Thankfully they'd not wasted their time, inside, they had gotten ready for the mission, and had managed to fit in a little time talking about old times. There had been questions of previous missions. Fox had talked of his time with MI6, how brutal it was. It had taken two days of talking about old times, before the blonde boy with brown eyes had been brought up. Cub. The young boy that had for a time spent time with the Unit. They all spent a few seconds wonder where this boy was now. However, now that the mission had started the thoughts of the boy were very distant in all four minds.

In the lead was Wolf, since he was the leader of K-Unit, walking very closely behind him was Fox, and Eagle and Snake took the rear, watching behind them just in case someone decided to launch an attack against them. They'd been walking around the building for the better part of an hour, and as much as Wolf insisted, the others were all inwardly complaining about how lost they truly were. It was annoying and the men were restless. They all just wanted it to be over with so they could all go home. They weren't really thinking that they'd have to do much else apart from find the agent.

A blood curdling scream filled the halls, breaking the silence that had been with the unit since they'd had the signal that it was good to go. All four men froze where they were standing, sharing a nervous glance. It had been a terrified scream. A scream so full of pain, that it had been almost unbearable to hear. They knew they had to find the person, more than before they realised that whatever had been happening to the agent needed to stop. Find the agent, because it was clear that the person was being treated awfully. They had expected as much why else would the SAS be called in unless it was a vital and dangerous mission, but when any person heard someone scream in such a fashion, no matter the training, it was never something you could be prepared for or get used to. Especially since that scream had seemed ten times worse than any other that they'd ever heard before. Not that any member of K-Unit wanted to be used to a sound like that.

What followed was a deadly silence. The only possible thing they could hear was the slow dropping of water from the ceiling to the floor. It seemed all the men were holding their breathes. Waiting for another scream to follow, but nothing did. Just silence, which was never a good sign. Wolf turned to his teammates, and had a look of, we-have-to-hurry-the-fuck-up. Which each of the other members had been pretty much thinking themselves, but as the leader, Wolf needed to show them that he was in charge of the situation and in a way, he was just making it clear what they had to do. He was just making it clear how important there mission actually was. Finding the MI6 operative needed to be done pronto.

Wolf took a deep breath and then headed down in the direction that he was sure the scream had come from. Each step now seemed echoed. He feared that they would be found, since it appeared none could walk quietly. Wolf held up a hand to his team as he reach a flight of stairs, that only headed down. He took another breath, and then thinking that there was no other way to go, headed down.

It was another fifteen minutes before Wolf and his unit reached a door that they could not just open. It was locked, which considering that this building was meant to be one used by terrorists was no weird, but since it was the first in a long while, the entire unit, without even exchanging words, knew they had to get the door open. After a brief moment of trying to turn the handle once more, just to double check, Wolf nodded to Eagle, who with his gun, drove a bullet into the lock. The noise sounded like a bomb had exploded in the echoey corridors. Now, they knew they had to really hurry. It would only be a matter of time before the enemy would descend upon them. Swarming them and out numbering, and K-Unit did not like failing.

Thankfully, there was no need for a second bullet, as the door was now clearly going to open. A second bullet would've made it even easier for the enemy to find them. Wolf stood back and let Eagle open the door, but as the leader, he stepped into the room first. What he did not expect to see was a boy, who looked no older than fifteen, tied to a chair. The boy was clearly unconscious. He had made no movement to the fact people had entered the room. There was a pool of blood around the chair, and there was the steady dripping of blood coming from the boy's nose. Wolf and the rest of K-Unit stood frozen where they'd stepped into the room. The boy was small, thin, too thin for a boy. The boy's blonde hair, was messy, and dirty. Dried blood, dirt and dust, made the blonde hair not look as blonde as it should be. It was Fox who stepped forward, reminding them that they had a job to complete.

Wolf took another step towards the boy, taking in the boy's clothing, he figured that at one point the jeans and white t-shirt had once fitted the boy. Although, he knew he'd have to wait until the t-shirt was properly clean before he decided that the t-shirt was in fact white. It was just like the boy's hair cover in dirt, and blood. Like the boy had been more than once thrown onto a dirty floor. Wolf walked round to the back of the chair, he nodded to Fox who stepped forward and held the boy lightly by the shoulders. He tried to not apply too heavily, he didn't want to cause the boy more pain, and he didn't want to wake him. If the boy woke the pain he'd probably be feeling would be unbearable. Fox, Eagle and Snake were all glad in that moment that the boy had a shirt on. None of them wanted to see underneath. From what they could already see every part of the boy was either covered by a bruise or a cut and all they could see was the top of the arms and the feet. Wolf gave a small cough, to get the attention in the room back to the matter at hand, he felt pity for the boy in front of him they all did, but they couldn't lose sight of the task they had been sent to complete. From his belt Wolf pulled out a knife and then looked to the boy's hand. Wolf had to swallow back vomit. The hands were bloody, and long deep cuts were all over the boy's arms with dried blood encrusted. He had to take a deep breath before he found where he needed to cut.

Swiftly he cut the cord, and he watched the boy slump forwards, into Fox, who was holding the boy up, still holding the shoulders. Wolf leaned over and cut the cord tying the boy's ankles to the chair. Once done he stood up, he watched Fox lower the boy on to the floor of the room. The leader of the unit could only think that MI6 agent or not, there was no way a kid deserved this. Hell, no adult deserved this either. The people who were holding him, were clearly sick bastards. It was as he bent down next to Fox who was staring intently at the boy's clearly broken nose, and the bruising around his eyes that the boy suddenly seemed familiar to him. But Wolf didn't know that many fifteen year olds. He wasn't married, so he had no kids who could be friends with fifteen year olds and he was in SAS, left little time to be around teenagers. Wolf leaned in closer., exchanging a glance with Fox, who'd clear made the exact same realisation as him. It couldn't be. No way.

**"Cub?"** The words had been taken right out of Wolf's mouth by Fox who's gaze had settled upon the boy's closed eyes. Wolf cursed to himself. It couldn't be true. Cub was a fifteen year old boy, whom he had put through hell when they'd met. There was no way that this could be him. The boy shouldn't be with MI6. He should be dealing with girls not terrorists that he'd clearly pissed off. Wolf brought a hand to his eyes and rubbed them lightly. There had been no mention on the news of a missing fifteen year old. Something like that made the front page generally. Where was this boy's family?

**"Is Cub the Agent?"** Eagle asked, his eyes not leaving the man he called his leader, who responded with a nod. Wolf swore under his breath again. It was in that moment that the entire k-Unit wondered if the boy had been the one to make the noise. It would be horrible to think. But, they knew it to be. And now, Wolf knew he'd never be able to get that sound out of brain. As much as it annoyed to think, he felt very very bad for how he had treated him before. Wolf knew however that he had to take control. He stood up and looked to each of his teammates. They couldn't start slacking, just because it was Cub. They could really think about how bad the situation was when they were out.

**"Right, let's stay on course here." **Wolf stated firmly, keeping his voice low but still commanding. But, even as he said this, his eyes moved to the unconicious body lying on the dirty floor. He could see that Fox was checking for a pulse, and cursed himself for not thinking to check such a thing. He didn't even know if the boy was alive. That would be one of the first things a normal person checks but given the situation the leader could hardly be asked to remember such a thing. He looked to Fox, who wore a worried expression. Not good. was all Wolf could think.

**"Shallow breaths, and a very slow pulse."** Fox spoke quickly and quietly, there was a sense of relief in the room to here the boy wasn't dead. But, all the men realised that really it was not that good for news.

**"Will he make it?"** Wolf spoke quietly, his voice still as commanding, but there was an edge to it, clearly he was actually worried about the boy. Wolf had no intention of going to a fifteen year old boy's funeral any time soon. He noticed Fox give a small shrug. It was probably too early to tell.

**"I don't know"** Fox said, but what he meant was, _I hope so_ **"But, for the best chance for him, we need to go now. I don't care if he isn't the agent, we need to get him out now. He doesn't deserve this"** The last part had mostly been a whisper, but it was the same thoughts as everyone else in the unit.

Fox put one arm underneath the boy's shoulder and one under his knees and easily lifted the boy off the ground. He couldn't help but feel even worse. Even though he was SAS, it generally was not that easy to life a boy of fifteen. But, it had been like lifting a young infant. Fox watched as Snake took a step forward and lift the boy's shirt slightly. Mainly to see if there was any truly serious injuries. And to see if any potentially broken ribs had pierced his skin. But in the instant that he did, he wish he hadn't.

**"Fox is right, we have no idea what his injuries are. We just have to get him out. And to people who can help him"** Snake confirmed. Pulling the t-shirt back over the boy's chest. **"Poor Cub"** Snake added muttering.

**"Let's go."** Wolf said to the others in his unit, in a very final tone. Not that any of them would argue, but he had to make it clear that it was really now or never. He looked round to Fox, who nodded and Eagle who had become to radio in for an abumlance. They would need one desperately. And with one final breathe, Wolf walked out of the room, and began heading towards the door. The only thought in his brain as he did so was that he really hoped Cub would make it. It was as they began to approach and exit, that all hell broke lose. The stillness had been broken, there was no longer a silence. The silence had been broken.


	2. Escape

Heyy everyone! Wow the response for the first chapter of this has been truly amazing.

Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it, and special thanks to those who review it and gave me pointers. I have taken the bold off spoken words. I'm coming from an RPing background where making speaking bold was common. But, Here it's different I'm adjusting.

Also, the over use of comma's and my punctuation are not great, I will admit to that. (my spelling is also pretty bad) I have a love affair with comma's(my english teacher's words) and I do struggle with punctuation which is why I'm attempting to write fan fiction. To improve. Hopefully this chapter is better.

Anyway, I'm done. Thanks again to everyone. Hopefully this is a good second instalment. If you do have the time review/give more constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I'm only borrowing

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><p>A storm was blowing strongly outside the building. The windows were rattling as strong gusts of winds blew. Things had completely changed from the silence that had once been moments before. For a certain amount of time, there was little movement. Only strong clear noises. People yelling instructions to one another, the sound of bullets hitting thick stone walls, hitting thick metal doors that are reinforced, the soft sound of glass smashing into pieces against hard ground. For a certain amount of time each person within the building believed it was the end for them. Considering the situation they were all currently in for some the end was likely. Rescue had been the mission. Causalities on the other side were unavoidable, necessary even for the rescue to be a real success.<p>

With a swift double kick to the main door by two of K-Unit they flew open and the cold air blew in. The fact the weather had changed so quickly was a mystery to the team but it wasn't something they pondered. It was after all the UK and weather in the UK was temperamental at best. The rain was falling heavily around them as the unit made their way through the the parking lot. The team had fallen completely silent, with Eagle and Snake running backwards occasionally shooting in the direction of the doors that they had just erupted from. They were leaving behind the yelling and firing, soon enough they were out of range for the bullets the guns held. Each member of K-Unit was at least thankful for that, and apart from a few grazes they'd managed to get out pretty easily. They ran as quickly as they could, Fox was keeping the pace, as he was trying to his best to not move too much so that the potentially dying boy in his arms wouldn't be moved more than necessary.

The ambulance was parked a couple of streets down. Not close enough that it could be noticed and therefore followed, but also not too far away. Since all of the men realised that Cub needed medical attention and he needed as soon as was humanly possible. A sigh of relief sounded as they spotted the ambulance, and as the paramedics noticed them. Two people ran out from the ambulance and rushed over to the Unit. They had packs in hand both wearing an expression of sheer fear. Clearly they'd heard some of the fighting which could scare any person. The taller of the two paramedics was a man in his late thirties, who had clearly never been in this kind of situation before. The other was a woman with long red hair in her late forties. The woman stared at the men for a brief second and then at the boy. She then quickly muttered something about getting something from the ambulance and ran back. She had looked as though she was about to be physically sick

"Okay, can you put him down on the ground. It's not the cleanest place, but you'll find he will be a lot more comfortable on the ground than in your arms. Not to mention he has to be heav..." The male paramedic stopped mid sentence as the blonde boy was placed on the ground and he realised that the boy was severely malnourished and very badly injured. _This is just not your day huh kid_ The paramedic thought to himself. However, he could only spend a brief moment to take a breath before getting to work. He checked for a pulse and was glad to feel a very weak one, it was better than nothing. Opening the pack the paramedic pulled out a machine that would be able to keep track of the boy's pulse and breathing rates.

"Shouldn't we get him to the Hospital?" Wolf asked, his tone sharp not quite understanding why they were still hanging around near the building that Cub had been held in. The paramedic looked up and shot a glare at the man. Before realising that it was probably not the best idea to argue with an army guy. Half shaking his head half nodding, the paramedic glanced round to the ambulance.

"Imogen, can you hurry up with the gurney, his heart rate and his O2 states are too low for my liking. I don't want to lose him." The male paramedic yelled to his college. It was silence that followed. "IMOGEN?" He repeated yelling loudly. Complete silence followed once more. The male paramedic looked round to K-Unit whom all shared worried expressions.

Eagle gave a small nod before beginning to walk around his unit and Alex and then forward holding the gun tightly in his hands. His steps were slow and careful. He couldn't be careless now, not when Cub's life hung in the balance of them getting him proper medical care. He walked to the ambulance and when he was fairly close took a breath. He then looked round to his team and gave a small curt nod directly to Wolf, who nodded back and turned to the remainder of his team. The situation need to become under control. They needed to go. They needed a hospital.

"Snake, you stay here with Fox and the paramedic, I'm gonna go get the van. Somehow I think this entire thing has been a little too easy." Wolf ordered before taking one last look at the blonde boy on the ground and then heading off in the direction of the van they had arrived in. He was hopeful it was still where they'd hid it. Not often were the team allowed to have their own van near by, but they had needed to get to the building somehow, and extraction had not been allowed. So the van had been the best option. They hadn't thought they would actually need an ambulance. How wrong they'd been.

In the mean time the paramedic had begun working on Cub. He mutter something about being unable to do anything for his ribs as of yet but was able to take each scarily thin wrist and bandage them. Stopping the small blood flow where his hands had been bound. However it was made difficult when the rain just kept falling it made the bandages wet before they were able to hit skin. The paramedic worked on that, while letting Snake - the team medic - bandage the boy's ankles were he had also been bound to the chair. They were in a similar state as the boy's wrists.

"Guys, we need to move now." Came Eagle's voice as he reproached them. Clearly trying to move fast and also attempting to not panic. "I may have found a bomb underneath the ambulance. The other paramedic was shot by someone, I don't know how we didn't hear it. So we need to go now." Eagle looked down at Cub and wondered if they could even move him. Although the male paramedic seemed to value his own life as he handed the machine keeping track of Cub's breathing and heart rate to Fox, before picking up the boy with ease.

"We can go, but we can't run with him. We need to move slowly. The slightest sharp movement or too much movement can cause his ribs to break further and either come out through his skin or pierce his lungs. Neither of which we want to happen." The paramedic said as they began to move slowly. Just as they did, a dark black van approached the unit and the Eagle almost jumped for joy when he saw Wolf in the front of van. The first thing to go completely right all evening.

Fox helped the paramedic get Cub into the back of the van. It was then, he realised the eyes of the boy were opening. The paramedic seemed however to have taken complete control of the situation as Fox stood helplessly staring at Cub. He still couldn't understand how anyone could've done such a thing to a boy. He had little time to really think, as he had to quickly close the doors to the van so they could get going. He did this just as Snake jumped in the front with Eagle and Wolf. The front of the van only had two seats, but neither man wanted to get in the way of the paramedic and so had opted for squeezing in at the front.

"I don't think I need to remind you how quickly and carefully you need to drive Wolf." Fox said to Wolf. Both men nodded to one another and the van began moving. After a few minutes of driving well beyond the speed limit, a large boom sounded, and from the side view mirrors of the van Wolf could see flames erupting from what had once been the ambulance. That had really been close. Too close.

"Stay with me, Stay with me...Yeah that's great, you're doing great. Just keep your eyes on me." The paramedic was saying as he leaned over Cub and looked directly into his fluttering eyes. "That's really great, now can you tell me your name? I know it's hard, but I need you to tell me your name." The paramedic smiling encouragingly at the boy, though smiling in this situation wasn't exactly right it was good for encouraging Cub, make him feel sage. All of K-Unit doubted that there would be any response from Cub. He had seemed too out of it for them to think he could give a response.

"A...Al...Alex. Alex," The voice was quiet, it was low, and sounded as though he'd been fighting against losing his voice for several days. Fox felt himself smile slightly, so Cub's name was Alex. He had been told that it was Alex, but a part of him had never really believed it. They had once worked side by side. Hearing the word fall from the boy's mouth was the confirmation that he need to believe that it was in fact his name. However as Fox watched Alex he noticed a small amount of realistion on the boy's face. Clearly the boy had just realised that he was in pain, and not just any kind of pain, a lot of pain.

"Alex, That's a good name. I'm Tessin. My friends call me Tess. It's a little girly. Listen Alex, I know it hurts a lot but, I need you to stay with me. Can you do that? Alex, can you do that? If it hurts too much to speak just nod" The paramedic called Tessin asked Alex. Alex seemed to nod, while also firmly closing his eyes, but only for a few moments. "That's great. Alex, you're doing amazing. Just stay with me."

There was a sharp turn in the road and while Wolf had tried his best to avoid it but with the speeds he was traveling at, it had been unavoidable. Fox had moved quickly, pushing the paramedic out the way, and holding Alex's side as the van turned. Although his pressure was light it was still a little too hard for Alex's ribs. It caused Alex to cry out in pain and even letting a small whimper escape his lips. Fox instantly let go and looked worriedly to the paramedic. Who while was in a small daze had a look that said Fox had done the right thing.

"Please be more careful." The paramedic said to Wolf as he got back to his feet. He stepped back to Alex, pushing Fox lightly out of the way. Alex had closed his eyes once more but unlike before they were not because he was in pain. "Alex...Alex! I need you to open your eyes for me. Alex?" The paramedic had a worried tone. While speaking he had leaned over and taken the box which monitored the boy's heart rate. He groaned when he realised that in the sharp turn it had become disconnected. He discarded it on the ground and took the boys wrist attempting to find a pulse. When he couldn't find one he tried again at the boy's neck. Tessin swore under his breath. Leaning his head lightly against the boy's chest he listened for sounds of the boy breathing.

"Shit" Tessin muttered. With that word he started to preform CPR on the boy. Careful as to not break any more bones or cause more damage but also making sure that it was good enough to bring the boy back.

"Breathe for me Alex, come on. Breathe for me." The paramedic was saying, his voice now a little on edge. This was not what he had expected to be dealing with when he had started his shift.

"What's happening? Why the hell isn't he breathing?" Wolf was yelling from the front, attempting to drive while also looking round at the group at the back of the van. "Cub you better fucking breath. I will not bury a fifteen year old boy." He yelled looking round at the blonde again.

"Wolf! The road! It's no use yelling at him if you aren't paying attention to the road." Snake spoke as calmly as he could mainly just attempting to stay calmer than Wolf clearly was. "I don't want to bury him either, but if you don't pay attention, we'll all get hurt when you accidentally crash this van." Snake had to stay the voice of reason as Wolf drove. And with this Wolf went back to watching the road driving even faster than before.

Fox was standing idly attempting to link up the machine to Alex. He had felt joy in the moments before when the boy had spoken, and now he wasn't breathing, and his heart wasn't beating. All Fox could now feel was anger. All Fox wanted to do was punch a wall over and over. But, all he could do was watch the machine, hoping that the boy's heart would start.

"Come on Alex. Breathe for me. Don't give up. Come on." The paramedic kept saying. As he continued to preform CPR growing increasingly desperate with each passing second.

"We're here." Wolf's voice sounded in the van, as it came to a slow stop. There was a brief moment of silence in the van as the paramedic continued to preform CPR and Wolf ran out to get the attention of the doctors and nurses. Then a small beep sounded. Followed by another.

"Well come back Alex" The paramedic said clearly relieved just as the doors to the van flew open and doctors and nurses flooded into the van and carried the boy out before placing him on a stretcher. It was all a large panic. People were yelling things, The paramedic was giving his report. A breathing mask was placed over the boy's face. And in all of this all K-Unit could do was follow the group of professionals before they were stopped and informed they could go no further.

"This is going to be a long night" Fox muttered as the four stood in the emergency room watching the doctors rush away with Alex. It would really be a long night, since all four men knew they would not be able to rest until they found out if Alex was going to be okay.


	3. This Wait is Driving me Insane

Once again I am completely overwhelmed by the amount of feedback I've been getting. I seriously don't understand it. I wish I could thank everyone personally for either adding this story to their alert list, adding this story to their favourites, and for all the kind words in the reviews. Hopefully this is an improvement to the last chapter, I've really tried to take everything on board. Once again thank you, you are all amazing people.

Hopefully this chapter is good enough! Sorry for the longish wait. Again review/give constructive criticism if you have the time and/or want to.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine just borrowing.

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><p>Hospitals were not a place that most people enjoyed. It was not because of the fact people were sick, but more the feeling that people died in the very rooms that filled the building. It was always grim thoughts that filled the minds of the people who waited for news. No matter how minor the actual incident had been. It is important to remember that for some the grim thoughts could well be the reality they'd have to face. In hospitals time did not seem to exist as it did in the world outside the doors. Day could turn to night and night could turn to day and not a person would notice. Minutes felt like hours and hours felt like eternities. It was hospitals that people tended to hate most. The waiting, the not knowing. Being completely in the dark about everything around them.<p>

For the members of K-Unit they all had a certain degree of dislike for hospitals. On more than one occasion having ended up in them because the other side had managed to do some damage. It was a rare occurrence but had happened once or twice. It was however when a boy no older than fifteen had been rushed in after pretty much dying on them that they felt this hate for hospitals surface a lot more strongly than it had ever before. It wasn't like any of them could do anything more. They'd done their bit and usually at this point the four men would arrange another time to meet and then would head in separate directions. On that day, for that mission that was not the case. They had all just sat down on the chairs of the waiting room, all looking a little out of place and had just waited for news of the boy. Minutes slowly passed. Each man taking it in turns to get to his feet and pace around the small virtually empty room they had been shown to. It was almost two in the morning so apart from the odd person it was fairly quiet. Each person in the room was worried about something, so there was a mutual silence.

Wolf was currently the one pacing. His mind playing over and over the events of what had just happened. He couldn't believe it. Wolf could not believe it. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the broken and bruised body of Cub. The screams of the boy a faint sound in the background. Wolf did not know Alex that well. The time they'd met at the Brecon Beacons he had been truly horrible to Cub. He had put the kid down, mocked him and generally just acted like the world's biggest dick. He had never for one second actually thought about what the boy was doing in such a place. A pissed off parent had been his first and last thought on the situation. Wolf stopped mid step as he thought this. He turned to his team who all looked completely shattered and gave a light cough to attract their attention.

"What about Alex's family? Shouldn't someone try to contact them? Surely his parents or some guardian has been looking for him?" Wolf stated, almost desperate that the boy was not alone in the world. After all how willing would the boy be to live if he didn't have anyone to live for. Fox was the one who nodded and got up to make the call. Wolf was sure that Fox was actually going to have to call MI6 so that they'd be able to then find his parents and the man was aware this would be no walk in the park. Wolf was hopeful they'd find someone. As soon as Fox had left the room, the silence took over once more. Snake and Eagle both staring directly at the floor, Wolf beginning to pace again.

The paramedic, Tessin, had spent the past ten minutes since bringing Alex into the Emergency room telling people about what he thought was wrong with the boy and trying to find out if the boy was going to be okay. Even though it was the end of Tessin's shift and while he wanted to be heading home, he just couldn't. Not until he knew if the boy was going to be all right. He found himself making his way to the waiting room. He stood just outside the room, taking in the three of the four army men that were in the room. Tessin wasn't allowed to talk about what he'd seen, but he couldn't quite get over the fact that just minutes ago he'd been frantically doing CPR on a fifteen year old boy. The boy was too young. And Tessin really hoped for a positive outcome of the entire situation. He was not however stupid, the boy's chances were slim.

Wolf glanced up as he heard someone enter the room. He'd hoped it would be Fox, but since they were dealing with MI6, he'd been doubtful. It surprised him a little to see the paramedic standing in front of him. He'd thought the man would just head home. Forget about everything that he had seen, and just move on with his life. But it was clear that the man did not often have to preform CPR on a young teen. Wolf stopped his pacing and sat down on the chair next to Eagle, staring at the paramedic as he did so. He didn't know what to say. He couldn't even remember the guy's name. All the paramedic had been was the guy pleading with Alex to breathe. Which was a memory Wolf was keen wanted to forget.

"Heard anything?" Tessin asked as he took a seat next to Wolf. All Wolf could do in response was shake his head. Of all the people that would know if Alex was going to be alright the paramedic, surely, was that guy. But it was clear that no one had been told anything. Wolf did not like that. It was better than bad news but it didn't instill confidence in him that everything would work out.

"How was he as he was being brought in? What are his chances?" Which was Eagle's subtle way of asking if Alex had even been alive as he'd been rushed in. Tessin took a deep breath. He could feel the eyes of the three men upon him. How could he tell them, that he didn't think the boy's chances were high. If he had any at all. The paramedic looked up at the three men sitting around him. It was clear that all the men wanted to be more hopeful than they were feeling. Tessin quickly cleared his throat.

"Honestly, things did not look good. Even though I was able to bring him back, his pulse was still way too weak. His ribs are probably suffering a lot right now. It's a wonder that as far as I could see none had punctured either the skin or his lungs." The paramedic spoke slowly, as if clearly not actually wanting to speak the answer to the question. "He's in good hands, but I'm pretty sure he started crashing again just as they were taking him away. Why I don't know more about what's going on right now. The problem is maybe a little more than just the injuries. There is probably a part of Alex that has given up. So, things are not in the boy's favour."

"Oh" Was the singular word all three army men muttered. It was hard to think that a fifteen year old boy had given up. That someone in the prime of their life would have given up to the point of being close to choosing death over life. But then, all three men remembered where they had found him, and the scream they had heard before finding him. How long had Cub even been missing. Wolf was trying to remember any news reports of missing fifteen year olds, but could think of none with the name Alex. Eagle was looking over to the door of the waiting room. Snake was just trying to process everything. Each of the men just could not believe what was being said.

All four men were so lost in thought that none of them heard Fox reenter the room. The man had just spoken to many people in MI6 - most of whom had tried to get him to hang up - before finally managing to reach the head of MI6. The only person he knew would be able to give him some form of information about where the kid's parents were. Or if any family member even existed. Wolf looked up and noticed him first. The grim look on the man's face spoke volumes. The two seemed to have a small silent conversation.

"No one, really?" Wolf muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't quite believe that the kid had no one. "He can not catch a break." Both Eagle and Snake looked confused. What on earth was Wolf talking about. Both pairs of eyes were moving between the two men. They had seen Fox, but since the man hadn't said anything they assumed it had to be good news.

"Turns out Alex's parents died when he was young. His uncle died just under a year ago, and his housekeeper/guardian died about three months ago but she'd been living away from Alex for about a month." Fox said as he sat down on the ground facing the four men. He clearly was not happy about how things were turning out for Alex. "And it gets worse"

"Gets worse? How could it possibly get..." Snake said sounding completely aghast that things for the fifteen year old could possibly get worse. As if not having a family, being tortured and almost dying was not bad enough. He had however been interrupt by Fox, who'd spoken so quietly that the men weren't sure they'd heard him speak at all.

"Three months is how long he's been gone." Fox could not hold eye contact with his unit. He couldn't even look the paramedic in the eyes once he had spoken those words. Three months before, the boy had gotten home from school after being away two weeks on a small mission that had left him with a few minor bruises, and then he'd not been seen or heard from again. It had taken MI6 three months to find Alex.

"Three months?" Eagle asked, almost sounding scared, and the unit did not do scared. But it was scary to think about what the boy had been through in the months he'd been captured. Fox did not look up when Wolf stood up angrily from his seat. He paced the room for a few seconds, clearly working to calm himself down. But it wasn't working. He couldn't do it. Fox walked to the wall and punched it hard. At the sudden noise many of the people around them jumped. Most had been asleep. Snake and Eagle both rushed to Wolf as he seemed to be aiming to punch the wall again.

"Wolf!" Eagle said, holding back his fist and pulling him back to his seat. With the aid of Snake. Who couldn't seem to get any words out at all. Once Eagle and Snake had managed to make Wolf sit, a silence took over once more. Wolf did feel slightly better about having punched the wall. It had somehow made him calmer. But his hand now hurt. Still attempting to stay calm he gave a long sigh.

"That makes sense. Some of the bruising on his chest looked old. But, it's not good." The paramedic said, breaking the silence and causing all four men to look up. "But, if he's managed to make it this long, I wouldn't lose hope just yet. He's clearly a very strong person." Tessin didn't look up as he spoke. He was only speaking from what he figured after his brief encounter with the teenager. Teenagers in general were a strong breed. They managed to get past more or less anything. It was a good trait most adults lost.

"What'll happen to him if he makes it?" Wolf asked looking up at Fox. Even though he knew that Fox would just be guessing the man knew a little more about the way the system worked. Wolf was sure he knew what the man was going to say. He just wanted to hear it.

"He'll go into the system. Probably end up in a group home or something. Maybe end up in some foster family. But chances are with our bosses, I wouldn't be surprised if they just made him live in headquarters. They are now his guardians. They can do just about anything." Fox wished he could do more for the boy. Fox knew MI6, and he knew that the people there would be more than happy than to give the boy a room to stay in, at headquarters and earn his keep by putting himself in life threatening situations.

"God, this kid has no luck what so ever." Wolf said speaking quietly, still clearly angry. He was silent for a few moments and then looked up at his unit. "We should put ourselves forward to be his guardians." Wolf found himself saying. He didn't know if the others would be up for that. It was completely ridiculous. They were four army men, who didn't know the first thing about caring for others. Despite the situation Snake and Eagle both found themselves smiling at how silly it would be for them to take care of Alex. Wolf shook his head and glared at the two men.

"Come on, I'm being serious. Hear me out." Wolf started, picking his words very carefully. "He has no one else. We offer the best protection. We can stay in my apartment. It has five bedrooms. He would be able to go to school and live a somewhat normal life. Come on, we'd learn how to deal with him, but it can't be that hard, surely?" Wolf could see Snake and Eagle both looking a little more persuaded. Fox on the other hand did not. It wasn't that he didn't think they'd be able to do it, just that speaking as a spy, he knew what would run through the boy's mind.

"It's a nice thought Wolf, but I don't Alex will want to. If he even makes it. He's not the type to ask for help. After how we acted towards him at camp he would never agree to it. After everything, I don't he'll trust us." Fox looked straight at Wolf, clearly only speaking to him. "If Alex's makes it. I doubt he'll just let us help him. He'll make a run for it. All we have to do right now, is hope that he makes it." Just as those words were spoken the entire room fell into silence. How unfortunate was everything in the boy life.

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><p>All five of the men just wanted news. Anything. Something to tell them that Alex was all right. That he was going to pull through. Unfortunately no one seemed to want to do such a thing. They sat hour upon hour just waiting for the slightest bit of news. Every so often someone glanced at the door. Every so often someone would pace the room nervously. Every so often someone would fall asleep. It wasn't until it was nearing nine in the morning that a doctor made an appearance in the room. The doctor did not even need to ask who was waiting for news. He just headed straight to the five clearly exhausted men.<p>

"Are you all here for Alex?" The doctor said, his voice somewhat grainy. The doctor was in his early forties. Tall and slim, with little hair on his head, but what appeared to be a slightly ginger beard. He had a small Scottish accent that had been dulled after many years in England. Although when he said Alex, the Scottish accent was more clear than day.

In unison the five men stood up. Eagle and Snake lingering back, while the paramedic, Tessin, Wolf and Fox stepped closer to the doctor. Wolf exchanged a look with Fox. They had both already decided that this doctor would be the barer of bad news. Wolf's mind telling him that this Doctor was here to tell him that Alex was dead.

"Yeah" Fox muttered to the man. He looked to all the men around him and noticed that they were all nodding slightly. Despite his lack of family or loved ones, Alex still had people who cared about him.

"Okay, well I'm Doctor Elijah Archer, I've been working on Alex." Doctor Archer introduced himself, letting this information sink in as if preparing himself to what he had to say next. "Now, Alex has a whole range of injuries, his left arm is broken, the right has a bad sprain. The cuts on his wrists were a lot deeper than we'd first thought. Whatever was tied around his wrists before had been helping stem the flow. Even before the bandages you'd put on." The doctor said motioning to the paramedic. "He's got a type two concussion, six of his ribs are broken, two are badly sprained. One punctured his lungs but not deeply enough to cause much damage.

"His torso was badly bruised, with bruising as new as yesterday and as old as last month. Both his front and back have a series of deep cuts, very unclean and Alex has some signs of infection because of this. His legs are the same. We had to operate because some of his stitching on his chest had become undone, and we feared he was having some internal bleeding which turned out to be false. The soles of his feet had been burned and the boy is very badly under weight, and I mean very badly. It is definitely one of the more worrying things about him. It means that Alex is very, very weak and much more likely to get an infection" The Doctor stopped and just let the information sink in. None of the men could quite believe what they were hearing. It sounded like unimaginable pain. The boy had suffered way too much. But, this did not even tell them if Alex was even alive. They figured he was still alive since the doctor had not said differently.

"So, is he going to be okay?" Wolf asked, his voice shaking slightly. His eyes desperately searching the man for an answer. Wolf knew that everything else they could deal with in due time, he just had to know if Alex was going to be all right. However to this question the Doctor looked down. The man took a deep breathe.

"We lost Alex twice after bringing him in from the make shift ambulance you came in, where I believe you lost him for a bit too. Alex is strong, but the second time he was technically dead for about three minutes. Things are still unsteady. He is not out of the woods just yet. The next twenty four hours are crucial. If his heart gives out one more time, I fear we won't be able to bring him back. However with that said, and despite my protests, I have orders telling me that he's to be moved down to London, in about two hours" The doctor said, clearly annoyed at the news of being ordered around.

"Is it wise to move Alex so soon?" Snake said, the only medic in the time was thinking that with Alex's case so unsteady, moving him to London from Carlisle would be the world's worst idea.

"No, I think it's an awful idea. That kind of movement could cause his body to panic and we don't want that. Things are so uncertain with him right now, a move like this could cause his heart to just stop." The Doctor said shaking his head as he spoke. "But it's not up to me. We have orders to have him ready to move and so it shall be. If you wish to see him, only two at a time, and you can follow the nurse right there to the ICU. Now if you'll excuse me" And with that the doctor left.

"I'm going to fucking kill them." Wolf muttered under his breath. And these words were what each member of K-Unit was thinking. The Paramedic was just cursing at the boy's bad luck. Each man shook his head, and then headed to the room the nurse was leading them to. Each not quite prepared for what they might see in Alex's room. Although all knew all the preparation in the world would not be enough for the sight which graced their eyes.


	4. The Sight I'll Never Forget

Heyy folks! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update this. Anyway, I'm not a fan of this chapter, but hopefully it's good enough. It's a little shorter, but, That's okay. It's a slow moving chapter.

Anyway, I'd like to take a quick moment to thank everyone who either put this story on their alerts, made it a favourite or reviewed. Seriously thank you so much.

If you do have the time, and/or would like to please review and give me constructive criticism, as I always say there is always room for improvement.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Just borrowing for a little bit.

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><p>"I don't understand why you waited so long before you started looking for him." The voice of a woman sounded in the hallways of the empty building. Even though most people would be asleep getting some rest before the next stressful day, MI6 was a place that always had at least one person in the corridors. On this day, for that specific mission, the head of MI6 and his right hand woman were the only ones left in building. Apart from the protection stationed at the entrances and exits, but they mattered little. The woman, Mrs. Jones, was a woman who had a slight tinge anger in her tone of voice. As if she wanted to be annoyed about what had happened, but knew in her heart that it was pretty pointless. She was working with Alan Blunt. A stubborn man, who happened to be the head of MI6 making him her boss. Alan Blunt was the most stubborn man she had ever worked with. Mrs. Jones was also sure that he would forever hold that title.<p>

"It had to be done." Was the man's simple reply, lacking of any real feeling or warmth. Most believed that Alan Blunt had been born completely emotionless, that he'd always had a voice and face that was completely emotions. However untrue this could be, the man had long forsaken the emotion he might have once had. This was why anything he said no matter how terrible it could be was told as if the man was bored and disinterested.

"Is the boy being moved?" The man asked, the stoney grey eyes of Alan Blunt meeting the eyes of the woman, who was clearly trying to decide how concerned she should be about the boy they were discussing. The boy was a boy after all and Mrs Jones could scarcely imagine what could've happened to him in the three months he'd been gone. The first two of which she had spent attempting to persuade her boss to start looking.

"Yes. In the next few minutes. The doctors spoke of the dangers this move could be to Alex, but assured me that the risk would be minimal. They promised to do everything in their power to ensure as little risk of danger as possible" The woman was choosing to leave out the small details of how dangerous it would actually be for the boy when he was moved. It seemed pointless to say no and mention the real risks. No amount of persuasive talking would change the man's decision. Mrs Jones was sure that even if the boy had needed surgery at the point that the head of MI6 wanted him moved, the surgery would've been done mid flight.

There was a small part of wondered if maybe a risk would be a good thing. Having a boy as good as Alex was definite asset to the country, but she knew it couldn't be good for him. Maybe he would be ready to move on, since she knew as long as he stayed useful he would most likely never leave the spy world. There was only one way out. Mentally Mrs Jones shook such thoughts from her mind. She knew she was too emotionally attached to this boy. He was after all, just a young fifteen year old teenager who had grown up too soon and too quickly.

"Good," The man said, his tone hinting at boredom breaking Mrs Jones out of her thoughts. "Now, what of that woman that died, the other paramedic?" The man asked, despite the fact the death of that woman had happened just over five hours previously, something had to be done. It wasn't like they could actually tell the truth about what had happened to her.

"Her family is being notified of her death as we speak. Car crash while driving home from her shift, car caught flames and that means no body." Mrs Jones replied, her voice neutral. The woman had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, nothing to get upset about. "And what of Alex? What happens to him once he gets better?" The woman asked. Treading carefully, knowing that was a question that she didn't want to hear the answer to.

"He will go back to living alone. Like before. It's better that way. Other people in his life might have meant we had more leverage over him, but with no one the boy will be a lot easier to persuade to go on missions. Done." And that was the end of the discussion. Mrs Jones knew when it was her cue to leave the room. And so she did. Turning her back to her boss and walking out of the room. She glanced at her watch, 'time to go home' her mind told her. And with that the woman headed home. Letting all thoughts of the boy slip away.

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><p>A sense of dread and fear had taken over the minds of all the men currently walking towards the fifteen year old's room. In that hospital, the doctors and nurses couldn't quite understand the situation of the boy. It was pretty clear that the boy had people who cared about him, but with the way the boy had arrived, that begged to differ. It wasn't something they very often saw, and would always be that case that no one ever understood. In years to come the boy would be the case brought up after about two bottles of wine. Mentioned in passing, the one they all wondered about, where he was, how he was doing. The biggest mystery, and in a Hospital in Carlisle that did not happen often.<p>

The room itself was not private, there were three other beds in the room and while all five men weren't sure what to expect what they saw was nothing they ever wanted to see again. There was a window that looked into the shared room. And the five men lined up at the window, barely a centimetre away from the glass. The paramedic standing closest to the door into the room and Fox stood at the very end furtherest away from the door. Wolf cursed under his breath. All he wanted to do was break the glass splitting the two rooms and use the shards to repeatedly stab the men who'd done that to Cub.

All the men seemed unable to move, they just stood staring at the unconscious form of the fifteen year old boy they had just barely saved. There were tubes and wires everywhere, there was a heart monitor just beside the bed. Fox felt reassured at the sight of the steady beating of the boy's heart. He could hardly believe that more than once in that night the beating had stopped. It made him realise how lucky they were that Alex was still there. That he had held on, fought for his life. Even if it had been small feeble attempts. They had been attempts and they had in the end worked.

Fox was the first one to move, he took a step back and while trying to control his breathing, he headed towards the door to the room. He glanced round at his team, wondering who would enter with him, if any of them could. Fox knew he'd be capable of doing it alone, but it would be nice to not have to. Noticing the look in the man's eyes, Wolf stepped forward. He walked over to Fox who was already hovering nervously at the door. As soon as Wolf was close, Fox opened the door and walked inside. Keeping the door open to let his friend in behind him. Wolf was careful to close the door behind him quietly. Despite the fact that all of the people within the room were asleep, he didn't want to cause any form of loud noise.

There was a silence in the room, not really a silence. One that contained the small noises of beeping machines telling them that everyone in the room's heart was beating. The noise of rushing air telling them that no one in this room was breathing alone. It was a small detail that hadn't been properly seen from outside. Now that the two men saw it, they both felt their hearts stop. God, with everything and the kid couldn't breath without help. Something that he didn't really want to think about. It was fairly hard to even comprehend.

If the men didn't know how to keep emotions in check, then Fox was sure that he'd be pretty much breaking down at the unfairness of life towards the fifteen year old boy in front of him. He knew doing that wasn't very SAS, but he felt so terrible that he could nothing for Alex. That the boy was just lying there, and all they could do was wait and see if the boy decided he wanted to return to a world where he had so little. Where he had been treated so unfairly. Fox shook his head slightly, moving his gaze to the grey floor. He took a deep breath and then stepped forward to be at the boy's side. The boy was tiny on the bed. Wolf - who stood frozen - believed that if he even touched the boy with the very tip of his finger the boy would break in two, and that was not what he wanted. Wolf gave a small cough and walked to the boy's other side.

"He's so thin." Wolf found himself saying, staring down at Alex. Now clean, it was easier to the bruising and cuts scattered a little everywhere. He could now see the dark circles around the boy's eyes. The bruising at the side of his face. "When do you think was the last time he ate?" Wolf pulled his eyes away from Alex and to Fox. Despite being the leader of K-Unit, sometimes he just needed someone else to take control.

"I don't know. If I'm honest I half don't want to know. Because I can assume it wasn't lately and that whatever he had been given could probably not even be classed as food." Fox replied looking from Wolf to Alex. He wanted to pull up a chair and just sit with him, but knowing that he was about to be moved meant he did not. Fox just gave a sigh.

"Hang in there Alex. You hear me, just hang in there." Fox said looking directly at the boy. He didn't even share another glance with Wolf as he left the room. Wolf did not want to wait any longer, but he couldn't leave with out saying something. As he attempted to speak, he found words failed him. So with just a tiny nod, he turned and left the room.

As Wolf walked back into the hallway of the hospital, he kept the door open for Eagle and Snake. Both of whom looked half terrified of what they were about to see . Wolf just walked back to the window and stood beside the paramedic. A part of him wondered what the man was still doing hanging around after what had happened. But a part of him understood that after seeing such a thing it was not easy to just walk away.

"Thanks for sticking around. You didn't need to." Wolf stood beside him. Glancing briefly at the man before looking at the other members of his unit. He had to look around him and noticed Fox in the distance clearly attempting to keep it together. Fox had always been better at keeping it together but they had never had to deal with a teenager with nothing.

"I know. I just wanted to leave so bad, but when you preform CPR on a boy," The man trailed off. "I just tried to get all the information I could with the intention of leaving, but, I couldn't. I had to be sure." The paramedic couldn't take his eyes off the boy in front of him.

"So, you don't get cases like this often I take it." Wolf had meant that as half serious and half as a joke. It wasn't a funny joke, but he knew already that it was very unlikely that anything of that sort had ever happened. Thankfully the man was not offended. Instead he smiled slightly and shook his head.

"No, thank god. I could not handle it if it did." Tessin said, his voice breaking slightly. As it did, Wolf tore his eyes away from Alex and looked at the man. He was reminded that Tessin was not an agent or an army guy. He was a paramedic who had not only helped save Alex's life in the van but had pretty much lost a friend and colleage too.

"I'm sorry, about the other paramedic. I wish we could've done more for her." Wolf wasn't often like this. The one comforting some man who looked on the verge of floods of tears. As if just completely realising all that happened.

"Thank you. She was a good friend." He muttered, quickly wiping his eyes with his sleeve. Feeling pretty stupid for almost breaking down in front of the army guy. Wolf on the other hand knew that it wasn't stupid to get upset about the death of a friend. But said nothing. Instead he just place a somewhat comforting hand on the guy's shoulder and said nothing. Wolf noticed that Eagle and Snake were leaving the room. He glanced at them, giving them a nod and looking in Fox's direction. Telling them to go to him. Still in control.

"Are you going to go in?" Wolf asked the man. As leader of K-Unit, the man always felt a need to take control of any situation which included making sure the others were with Fox as he dealt with the poor paramedic who had the awful luck to be the one to answer their call.

"Nah, It's okay. I think I should go. I should go see Imogen's family. They'll be pretty much devastated. It's the least I can do." Tessin said nodding to himself and stepping away. Wolf took his hand off the man's shoulder and then held it out to him to shake.

"Thank you, for everything you did to help Cub. I'll have someone inform you of his progress." Wolf said to the man. The paramedic took Wolf's hand and shook it with a small smile. He nodded to the other men and gave a small wave before glancing one last time to the boy and walking away.

It was as the man walked away that Wolf decided that he should go back into the room. So Wolf did. He didn't know why. It didn't make him feel much better. It didn't make him feel good. But, he couldn't leave things unspoken. Even if the boy couldn't actually hear him.

"Cub, I...I'm..." The man tried. "You can't die. You owe us all an explanation. You can get better. Please. You're too young." Wolf muttered quietly. "But I promise you no matter the outcome of this, I will hunt the sons of bitches that did this to you and rip their throats out. I promise you that." With those words spoken, a flock of nurses and doctors entered the room. Time to move him Wolf guessed. Wolf left the room quickly and returned to his Unit. They all shared a small nod.

"To London?" Eagle said. Of course they'd follow Alex. The Helicopter would be one for medical purposes, but the men all had a flight home with their names on it. Curtsey of MI6. A part of the deal for doing the mission. Upon it's completion a direct flight alone back to London. Each man gave a nod.

"To London." Snake repeated. Determination in his voice. "Let's just hope that Alex makes it."

"He will" Fox and Wolf said in unison. All of K-Unit glanced round as Alex was being taken out of the room. In all their minds they were hoping and praying that Alex would be okay. That despite all the odds against him, he would make it.


	5. The Dream State

Heyy there! Been a little while. I apologize about the long wait. Thank you for all of your lovely reviews, story alerts etc. I really appreciate it. Thank you!

If you have the time and want to, please do review. I'm here to improve! Thanks

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nothing at all.

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><p>There was a sudden blinding pain in his chest, and then a pair of brown eyes flew open. Everything at first was just a little too bright, causing the brown eyes to close tightly. Upon reopening them, everything appeared better. Still bright but bearable. It was as clear like water, and the light coming in from the window seemed almost unnaturally bright. There was a strangeness about the room. Everything was perfect. This was what was off about the room. After the dream the boy had had, perfection just appeared odd. It was as he noticed that the boy realised that he'd fallen out of bed and was lying on the cold carpeted floor. Confusion began to settle into his mind. It was familiar and yet it had been so long, that he couldn't believe it in the slightest. The last thing he'd been witnessing was a man beating the crap out of him every couple of days. It was an awful feeling and now he was awaking in what appeared to be his bedroom. It felt like a dream. He just needed to figure out which part had been the dream and which was reality. It had felt so real, the pain had been real, the hunger, the emptiness. This did not feel real.<p>

"Alex! You'd better be getting dressed, you don't want to be late" A female voice called from the bottom of the stairs. Alex jumped up at the sound of the voice. He believed he was alone, that in this apparent dream he was alone in the place he truly wanted to be. He took a moment to steady himself, standing up to fast made him incredibly dizzy. The room was set up differently from how he last remembered it. The bed was smaller, and in the corner near the window. His desk was not right beside the door on the side of his window. Alex rubbed his eyes. This room had to be the real part, what he'd imagined before had to be the dream. 'What a dream' His mind said not wanting to admit the terrible truth that it could well be the other way round. The supposed dream had felt long, like an entire year of his life. In that year he had lost almost everything he held dear. Here in his room, he felt at home, comfortable. Like everything was going to be all right. It was safe, something he hadn't felt in his dream at all.

"Alex! Don't make me come up there" The voice sounded again, clearly beginning to get annoyed at the lack of movement from the boy's bedroom. Alex mumbled something incoherent under his breath. He looked down at himself and then looked at his reflection in the mirror at the end of his bed. Normal. He looked normal. No dark bags under his eyes, no scars, nothing. He looked like a completely normal fourteen year old boy. Or was he fifteen. In the dream he'd been fifteen. Right in that moment he couldn't remember. Alex shrugged and began to get dressed. His uniform was the first thing he thought he should be wearing. Figuring that by late, she'd meant for school. He found himself excited about going to school, that was something he hadn't really done in his dream and he was looking forward to that fact. The brown eyed teen had never thought he'd ever be excited for school.

The entire situation of his dream seemed so surreal he'd been a boy spy. A Teen Spy working for MI6 and going on incredibly dangerous missions, risking his life and facing torture. He'd saved the world on countless occasions in the dream, and that was something he would be proud to say. However that had been the only good part of his dream. It was horrible. How alone he had felt during the dream. How real the loneliness had felt. He'd lost everything and no one had batted an eyelid. It had pretty much been a nightmare.

Walking down the stairs Alex swung the already full school bag on to his back and headed where the morning news was playing, the kitchen. Stepping into the kitchen, Alex had to hold himself back from hugging Jack. During his dream Jack had been killed, and as much as he was aware it had been a dream, he wanted to be sure. Sure that he was not imagining it, that she was actually alive and in front of him. Instead he just stood at the entrance staring at the redheaded woman. Smiling like an idiot who'd just found something he'd lost and missed.

"Wow there Alex, You doing okay? I haven't seen you smile that much in a long while." Jack said in a jovial tone looking round at the young boy in the room. Alex shook his head and sat down. He couldn't stop smiling at her, the joy at seeing her smile was so immense. Her death had been one of the worse parts of the dream. They'd fallen out and she'd left, and she'd still died. In the dream, Alex had blamed himself wholly for her death.

"Bad dream," Alex attempted to explain to her. It didn't really explain it in the slightest but he couldn't exactly explain that he'd lost her in a dream. Or that her death had been his fault. Instead of actually explaining it, he was just happy being with her, and watching her make breakfast like it was just like any other day.

"It's all those video games, I keep telling your parents that they should just take them off you. I mean clearly they aren't good for you." The redhead joked her american twang playing on her words. However what she said confused him. His parents. How was that possible, he lived with his uncle, his parents died when he'd been young. He couldn't believe it, he didn't. This had to be fake. His parents had been dead in the dream, maybe that had been a tiny detail he'd brushed over. But in his dream the boy hadn't really known his parents and that feeling was playing now. He couldn't believe it. His parents. In the dream he'd missed them, Alex never wanted to feel like that again. "Alex! Alex, you sure you're okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"My parents they're alive? They're here?" Alex asked, his voice quiet, young. Like a small child unsure of himself. The redhead gave Alex an odd look before nodding. She had a look in her eyes that said, well duhh.

"Course they are Alex. They'll be having breakfast soon. Why did you think the table was laid for three?" Jack replied, pointing at the table. It was the first time the boy had noticed the two other plates at the table. As if on cue, an older looking man, who looked fairly like his uncle entered the room. A rush of affection for the man entered Alex's brain. Alex closed his eyes tightly and then reopened them. Now there was another woman in the room, and all three adults were staring at him. Alex could not believe his eyes. This felt completely impossible. That dream had been way too real.

"Mum, dad?" His voice was cautious. To which they both replied with a small nod and shared look of confusion. Alex got up from his seat and rushed to his mother, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. Never wanting to let go, but knowing that if this was reality, it would appear to be an odd action. He could feel his mother running her hand through his hair, while she questioned the housekeeper about what was going on. She muttered bad dream.

"Alex baby, what's wrong? You haven't hugged me this tightly since I left you on your first day of primary school." His mother spoke softly removing herself from Alex's hug and looking to Alex with a smile. She felt his forehead. "Everything appears fine, no temperature."

"I'm fine, just a bad dream, a really bad dream." Alex muttered taking a step back from his parents. "I should get to school" Alex couldn't believe this. He didn't want to, if it wasn't real, if this was the dream, he didn't want to leave. Everything he had lost was here in front of him. He didn't want to leave this world. It was more perfect than anything he could've imagined. Before any adult could say anything, Alex grabbed his bag and quickly left the house.

* * *

><p>It was second nature the walk to school he knew it like the back of his hand but everything around him appeared different. The birds were louder, the trees appeared greener, the sky was brighter. Alex could hear a small noise in his ear, like a small amounts of gunshot, yelling and the sound of running feet. He just figured it was the sound of someone else walking fairly close to him. He stopped mid step, but the small noise continued. Alex looked round him, no one. Then as soon as it had started, it began to get softer and softer, until it was nothing. All he could once again hear was everything around him. Nothing like the odd sounds of gunshot, like in his dream. Shaking his head slightly, and calling himself crazy, the boy continued walking to school. As he approached the gates, a familiar face approached him. Smiling brightly and looking pleased about something. This was his reality.<p>

"Alex, Hey!" His closest friend Tom greeted him, even before he got close to him. "So, I have the best type of news, you are seriously not going to believe me." Alex just smiled, at least this was completely normal. He however couldn't help but notice that no one was staring like they had in his dream. Apparently he'd not missed any school. Which was good. Saving the world had trumped school which meant his grades in the dream were terrible and the people knew him as the drug addict boy with parent issues. Alex just smiles and walks along side his friend as he goes into detail about his adventures with a certain girl and a certain test that he knows he's aced. Everything feeling great and normal.

As much as Alex likes listening to his friend talk, very quickly he's almost completely zoned out on what is being said. He can here someone call his name, there's more talking in his ear. It's louder this time. Alex glances down at his wrists, there is a warmth on them. As if someone is feeling for a pulse and bandaging something up. His wrist is however bare and without a bandage wrapped around it. It was odd, shaking his head slightly, the noise in his ears stop and Alex focuses on what his friend is actually saying. Alex followed his friend to the first class of the day. Alex shook his head again and sat down next to his friend as the teacher began the lesson, History.

"He was in dream last night." Alex whispered leaning into his friend. Tom looked to him with a look of clear surprise. Clearly finding it weird and funny that Alex had dreamt of a teacher.

"For real? Mr. Loup?" Tom whispered half laughing, attempting to stifle the laughter that threatened to erupt. He took a deep breath, calmed himself and leaned in towards his friend. "Was it a kinky dream?" Tom asked raising an eyebrow before breaking out into silent laughter. Alex looked utterly horrified. As much as his life had been pretty terrible before, this kind of conversation had never appeared. Alex then realised that he was not in his dream where he was a teen spy with the weight of the world on his shoulders, here he was just a teenager. With an immature best friend. It felt perfect.

"You are telling me about this dream" Tom's voice was once again growing distant. He could hear the talking again. Instructions as whispers in his ears. Alex glancing around him, trying to find the source, but the class appeared silent. There was a sharp pain in his head. One like he'd felt in his dream.

"Alex. Alex? Hey Alex!" Tom was calling his name, clearly noticing the change in Alex. Alex put his hands on his head and willed for the pain to go away. He closed his eyes, and each time he did there were voices, commanding him, they were moving, he was lying on something flat. Alex reopened his eyes and stood up, completely unsteady on his feet. Straight away all eyes were upon him. Tom was by his side in seconds, the teacher was telling the class to leave as he made his way to the pupil. Alex was trying his hardest to focus, but he couldn't. There was another sharp pain and with that Alex collapsed onto the floor of the classroom.

* * *

><p>The next thing the boy felt was pain. He was looking upwards to the face of someone he didn't recognize. It was no longer the strange reality, this was his dream world that only he'd dreamt about that night. Where he had no one and nothing. There was a man in his line of vision, he was clearly some form of paramedic. He was asking him to stay with him. Alex just wanted to sleep, but the paramedic told him to focus, so he kept his eyes on him. The man asked his name. Alex was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to reply but didn't see the harm in trying.<p>

"A...Al...Alex. Alex" Alex found himself saying, in a quiet voice. He didn't know where he was, or why he was no longer in the safe classroom with his friends, where his parents and Jack were alive. There wasn't much time to keep thinking about it, as a new wave of the most unimaginable pain hit him, Alex heard himself cry out in pain. He didn't want to be awake for this. Alex closed his eyes, as soon as he did, he heard a mixture of voices. Tom calling his name, the paramedic asking him to stay with them. Alex opened his eyes hoping the nightmare would be over, but it wasn't, he wasn't back in the classroom, he was with the paramedic. Who appeared pretty desparate for Alex to stay awake.

Hearing something about nodding and pain, Alex nodded. The pain was too much, he didn't want to be able to feel anything. He didn't just want it to be over, he needed it to be over. The blissful state he'd been in when he'd awoken in his bedroom was something he wanted more than anything. All of a sudden there was a sharp turn, and an even sharper pain in his chest. Alex couldn't help but cry out and then everything went black.

* * *

><p>"Alex!" Tom's voice sounded. "Alex, come on, wake up." There was a tinge of worry in the voice, which was why, Alex began to really work to open his eyes. There was no more pain, but he was still lying on a cold ground. He flexed his fingers and felt his friend and someone else sigh in relief. However, Alex still did not open his eyes. He took a deep breath. He no longer knew which reality was the real one. The one with Tom, and his friends, or the one with the pain, where he had no one.<p>

"Breathe for me Alex, come on. Breathe for me" At this Alex opened his eyes he was sure he was breathing. He looked at the two faces staring down at him. He didn't know if what had just been said was real or fake. Which life it had been from. It didn't make sense. Nothing about this situation made sense to Alex. Alex blinked rapidly several times before begin to sit up.

"Hey, easier there." The second voice, not Tom. Alex looked round to him. The man who looked familiar was smiling warmly, clearly glad that Alex was awake. "Welcome back Alex. You gave us quite a scare" The man said. Alex just nodded. Continuing to sit up, not sure what had happened. Spotting this his friend looked to the teacher before looking back to Alex.

"Are you feeling okay?" Tom asked, clearly nervous. Alex nodded before beginning to get to his feet. He noticed that they were the only people left in the classroom. Alex looked round. It was quiet. There was a distance yelling, but it was faint. Alex couldn't make out what was being said. He looked round to the two left in the room. They were smiling weirdly at him. All knowing smiles. As if they knew some big secret he was not privy to.

"What's going on?" It was the first time during this entire experience that Alex felt like maybe this was the wrong reality. That in fact the one with the pain and the loss was the right one. Alex did not want to believe it, but there was no denying that in all of this it seemed more plausible. This world that he was in. It was too perfect, everything was too of much of something. The lights were bright, everything was more colourful. It was what he wanted, his dream, a perfect normal life without pain or suffering.

"Maybe you should sit down Alex, it was quite a fall." Tom said encouragingly. Motioning to a chair directly behind Alex.

"What exactly happened?" Alex asked, sitting down on the chair closest to him. It didn't answer his questions about where everyone had gone, what they were talking about, why he was seeing two realities. Why he'd felt such pain. More or less what was going on was a mystery. He just wanted some form of answers and the only ones he would actually get were the simple ones, like what had happened from when his head had had started hurting to when he'd woken up on the floor.

"I don't know, one minute were talking the next you go completely pale, and scrunch your eyes closed. You moaned in pain and grabbed your head. I didn't know what to do, so I flagged over Mr. Loup, and then you stood up, and start walking towards the door. I was just about to support you, guide you to sit down you know, and you cried out then collapsed." Tom said, clearly not happy about having to remember what had happened. It was not something he wanted it to happen ever again. Tom took a seat in front of Alex, looking to the teacher hoping he'd say something. "It was scary"

"I got everyone out, and then we tried to wake you. Which you did." Mr. Loup said. Alex looked down at the floor, trying to piece everything together, there was more yelling in the background, the words losing and him were the only ones he could actually make out. It was difficult to make anything out. It wasn't impossible, but that was all. Alex tried to focus on the room in front of him. He closed his eyes and rubbed them. This was a weird day. There was no denying that. He reopened his eyes, and noticed that the room was no longer just the three of them. Jack, and his parents, and three other men that he recognised but didn't know the name of were standing in front of him.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, his voice above a whisper. He was fairly sure that he knew what was going on, but there was no way that he could be certain. In his dream the last thing he remembered was someone punching him hard in his ribs and then in the side of the head. Then everything had gone dark, and he'd awoken on the floor of his bedroom in this strange world. He had the strangest thought in that moment, '_am __I __dead__' _his mind asked. He didn't know which was better, being dead, or being alive. He was sure that before when he'd been in the van that had been real, and he'd been alive, so what did this make what he was feeling in the classroom.

"Cub, I think you know" One of the men asked, Alex looked to him. His mind ran through a whole bunch of names, trying to come up with the right one, Snake. Snake, and beside him were Eagle and Fox. Alex felt odd, these men had been terrible towards him when he had met them, but here they were. All smiling. Wolf, Mr. Loup, included.

"We're going to go. You hang in there Alex. You hear me, you hang in there" The man Alex remembered as Fox said. He turned to leave, followed by Snake, Eagle and Mr. Loup. It left Tom, Jack and his parents in the room. Alex was about to speak when Tom just walked up to him patted him on the shoulder and followed the men out the room. Alex was about to tell him to not go, that he needed his friend. He stared at the three adults left in the room, his family.

"I can't do this anymore." Alex heard his voice break as he spoke. Tears rushed to eyes, but Alex quickly wiped them away before any could fall, he hadn't meant to sound so desperate, but the past few months, the past year had been one bad event followed by another, no one could blame for feeling like it was completely hopelss. He looked from each person, he just wanted to apologise to them all for the part he might've played in their death. "I can't"

"Yes you can." His father stated simply. "You have the strength, But you don't actually need to." Alex looked up at his family. Why did have to pick he did good in the world where he was a spy, but he had nothing for him there. He had no one, here he was surrounded by his family and his friends. Why did he give up everything. Why him. He didn't see the fairness.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry" Alex found himself saying, he was breaking down fast. He had the choice this world or the one he'd been in. He had to go back, face the world where he had nothing. Since there he was actually needed, and at fifteen he had to admit, he was still pretty afraid of dying. Despite how much he wished for it. "Please, I don't want to. Please"

"Son, the choice is not ours to make. You can come with us, or you can go back. Either way we'll support you. You should consider that there are people who'll miss you in the world." His father stepped forward towards him, lowering himself to Alex's level, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiling at him "Just listen"

_"You can't die. You owe us all an explanation. You can get better. Please. You're too young."_

"But it hurts. It hurts so much." Alex hated how he sounded like a little boy, young with no knowledge of the world. He also knew that it was hardly his fault, he'd never asked for it and reality it was the biggest factor that wanted him to just go with his parents. At least here, nothing hurt. Back in his world, it hurt. Having nothing and no one.

"It'll get better, it'll get easier" Jack who'd stayed silent up until that point stepped forward she was smiling at him. As if she knew that he'd been fending for himself in the world he was returning to. Alex didn't believe that it would get better. However, he knew while they offered him a choice, he really didn't have one. He couldn't not. There was so much for him to do, he had to keep fighting, so that other people would be safe. His life for the lives of the many. His mother leaned down and kissed him lightly on the top of his head.

Pain erupted from inside his chest. He cried out in pain, but no one made any form of movement. Alex clutched at his chest. He stood up and called to them for help. But no one moved and everything was becoming more and more silent. Alex closed his eyes and felt himself fall, but he hit nothing. There was no hard hit. Nothing. Just silence.

* * *

><p>There was a soft beeping. The four army men had set up camp in Alex's room. They were serving as protection and as the people who actually cared that Alex got better. They were in London, but the trip down had been anything but nice. Alex had almost crashed twice. Points where his heart started to give out, Fox had found himself encouraging Alex to stay with them. Telling him that he needed to get better for the sake of the country. That without him there would be no one to stop evil people from trying to destroy the UK or the world. Surprisingly enough for all people that had worked. Now since it was the morning, two days after Alex had been found, the four men had all fallen asleep due to sheer exhaustion. It had been a tough few days.<p>

The young boy could feel his hand was being held by someone. He moved it slightly and as he did this, the hand loosened itself. Wolf had become fairly parental in the past few days. Not wanting anything to happen to Cub. So much so, he'd fallen asleep holding the boy's hand, an attempt to show that they were still there for him. Encouragement. All the army men needed him to wake up. Wolf sat up as soon as he felt the hand move. Alex was waking up. At the thought, Wolf had to stop himself from dancing with joy.

"Alex? Can you wake up for us?" Wolf asked carefully, his voice low so to not wake the others. Though his movement had stirred them slightly. Alex heard the voice and knew he should open his eyes. He did, and felt his eyes hurt as the mass amount of light poured in. He'd been stuck in a dark room for a very long time, this was too much for his eyes. He groaned slightly, and then reopened his eyes. He didn't know where he was. He just knew he was no longer in the room. He looked down at himself. His left arm in a cast. His right badly bruised. He looked around him, and noticed all of K-Unit were sitting, asleep at the side of his bed. This confused Alex, he didn't think they'd care about him. The next thing the boy noticed was the odd contraption that was jammed down his throat making it impossible to speak. He finally noticed Wolf sitting staring at him, clearly pleased to see he was awake. It was all odd for Alex. Nothing made sense, but it felt right. He had the weirdest feeling in side him, like he'd made the right decision. About what he didn't know.

"Thank god." Wolf muttered, smiling happily at the boy before calling the nurse. Cub would get better, he'd make sure of that.


	6. The Runaway

Heyy, so it's been a while! Yeah, I got really bad writers block, then distracted. So, I kept starting this and never finishing it. However, it is finally done. It's slightly shorter, and not great. But, Hopefully you'll enjoy it. Thank you for all the lovely reviews you left me. If you have time, please review this chapter. And I promise you, you won't have to wait so long for the next update.

Disclaimer - I sadly own nothing.

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><p>"Has the boy awoken yet?" Came the cold voice of the head of MI6. He did not really care if Alex was all better, he just needed him alive. After all, there were plenty more missions that they could potentially have for him, and Mr. Blunt was in no mood to find another teen spy that would be as capable as his Alex Rider. There would be no one with so little family and so much curiosity that would be willing to even consider such a job.<p>

"Alex awoke briefly yesterday morning, and it looks like he will make a good recovery. The doctors say it could take a little while, but he should be fine." Mrs Jones answered in the usual careless tone she took when she needed to address the head of MI6 with fact. She left out the parts about how mentally this would take a huge toll on the teen spy, it wasn't like the man would care.

"And when will he be released from hospital?" Alan Blunt asked, his emotionless eyes meeting hers, he really just wanted to speak to the boy and see when it would be possible for him to start completing missions for MI6.

"In about a week, so this Sunday, he's meant to take it easy, but you know Alex, doesn't sit still" Mrs Jones stated. She was actually lying, Alex appeared more subdued than before, more removed, he had this look in his eye that told her what he'd been through was not something he had huge desire to repeat any time. Unfortunately, that information was not information that Alan Blunt would care about.

BREAK

Roughly a week after the brown eyes of the boy had finally opened and taken in a sight that surprised him, he was packing up everything that had been brought for him during his stay at the hospital. His movements were slow and stiff. He lacked the usual smile most exhibited at the prospect of going home, and there was the youthful air that most teens had, which he now also lacked. The one that meant they were up to all hours either partying or watching movies. He had neither of those things to look forward to. He had no one to go home to, or with. Everyone he cared about was gone. There was his one friend, but after the three month disappearance the boy doubted they'd still be friends. He had no youthful air because he was a lot older than his age.

For once he was alone in his hospital room. Pure coincidence and the only reason he was leaving. The four army men of K-Unit had taken turns to be the one to leave the room or guard. It meant that at almost all hours of the day someone had been in room. As a teen still readjusting to having people in his life, and having to deal with what had happened to him over the past three months it had felt odd. There was a feeling of finally being able to breath. Like he'd been holding his breath and was only now able to let it out. It did mean that he was leaving without them knowing. There was no way they'd let him leave the hospital all were set on having him say until the hospital physically threw them out. While the teen was enjoying the calm, he couldn't really take another day of the four bland walls, and the four silent army men.

Alex Rider was no average boy of fifteen years. He had army men guard his door, he lived alone, and he'd seen more than any person should ever have to but he hated hospital as much as the next teen. He didn't really want to home to a house that was completely empty, to a house that held good and bad memories. Some memories people would class as horrific, it was just a matter of prospective. However even that house seemed better than this room. Shoving the last of his stuff into the duffel bag he'd been brought, Alex gave the room one final sweep. Double checking for everything and anything. He had to leave no trace. He couldn't be baby sat by K-Unit for the rest of his teen years. They hated him, Alex could see it in there eyes. This was false the members of K-Unit had nothing but feelings of worry and concern towards Alex, but these two feelings were so foreign to Alex, especially when displayed towards him that he mistook it for hate.

Even if they didn't hate him now, the teen was almost sure what he was doing in that current moment would lead them to hate him. The back of his mind was telling him to just accept that the four men were now in his life, but he had issues with this, since upon their first meeting, all the men had treated him like a useless waste of space and he couldn't really take getting close to four more people who could very well be killed. Considering their line of work, it was really all the more likely. Alex had lost too much, he was sure that his heart would not be able to take another death. After all he was still a teenage boy with a small shred of hope that the world wasn't all bad.

Alex had a job that he hoped no other kid would ever have to suffer through. He had been broken and beaten. Tortured and been victorious. He lived every day knowing that there might just been someone waiting to shoot him down. Just like Scorpia had tried to. It really was only a matter of time before it happened again, and maybe on that occasion he wouldn't be as lucky as he's been. Most would disagree with that statement, but Alex took his victories when he could, and just being alive was one he would always appreciate.

Finally glad that he hadn't left anything as a clue, or any trace of himself in the room, Alex carefully put the backpack on his less injured shoulder and went to handle the discharge papers, that were not well protected. He was quick to take what he needed, fake the signature and the put it back. It only took a few minutes, and then Alex Rider was leaving that hospital and no one would stop him. Finally a free teen.

BREAK

As the leader of K-Unit, Wolf was the first to enter the hospital room that they'd been staying in for the past week. The doctors had managed to pull a few strings to allow the men to even be in the room to begin with. Mostly because they were government officials and when they asked for things people let them. It wasn't exactly a task for the men, they were good at sleep in uncomfortable places, getting little sleep and being partially alert all the times. It came with what they did. As men of the army they had to be able to handle conditions that no one else would want to. However, dealing with a recovering spy had been no easy task. The blonde boy had not made it easy for the four army men. After all they had just wanted to show that people cared and that he wasn't alone. This was why immediately after they entered Alex's room at the hospital they had a little bit of a panic coursing in their veins.

"Where the fuck is he?" Wolf yelled at his team mates. They'd been gone no more than three hours and yet somehow he'd managed to slip away. It wasn't like there had been anyone left to protect him directly at the door, but no one was allowed on that floor unless they had the jurisdiction to be there. They were all hopeful that the members of staff at the hospital had been vigilant on that front. They had not rescued him only for him to be taken away. They were coming with good news. MI6 were finally pulling together to allow the members of K-Unit to be the guardians of Alex. Mrs. Jones and Mr. Blunt had both known that it would be better that Alex be with people he knew and that were able to protect him and themselves rather than have the boy live alone. However this now empty room foiled their plan completely.

"Well, he can't have gone far, he had a huge limp and almost no money." Fox said, knowing that they had been careless in thinking that Alex would just wait around for them to get back. He was the kind of kid who no matter what always thought he would be better off alone than with people who really did care about him. Since he'd pretty much lost everyone else that ever meant anything to him.

"Not to mention he still looks a mess, he'll end up getting picked up by the police or something." Eagle said, trying to for once be the voice of potential reason in the slowly heating up argument.

"Alex is a very well trained spy, he'll get away. We just need to fine him" Fox told them. Knowing from experience that Alex was very well trained. They all knew that even if he hadn't been, he was the kind of kid that when determined nothing would stop them, not even the oceans or the lack of money he had. All four were left with the wonder of was he taken. As if sensing this, Snake walked out of the room to locate both the attending nurse and the doctor. Both of whom they hoped would be able to shed some light on the topic of where he'd gone.

The three men left in the room all took seats in different places. Wolf sat on the chair he'd claimed as his own just after Alex had awoken. Fox sat on the now neatly made bed, and Eagle had taken a seat just underneath the window sitting on the hospital floor, for the first time in his life looking a little defeated. He liked getting to know Alex over the past few days. Of course it was odd circumstance and they all had known that Alex hated it, but he and the others had tried their best to make him feel like he should. Like a Cub.

"So you say he managed to just walk out?" Snake almost yelled as he walked into the room quickly followed by a worried looking nurse and an unsure doctor, who was clearly worried about his job and his life. He hadn't know the importance of the boy, no one had. He was just another bruised and beaten kid who'd passed through the doors. They seemed to be getting increasingly more of those. The doctor looked at the four men he'd seen a lot of over the past week, however now, he felt a lot less safe. They were huge, and he was a fairly small guy. The army men could very much sense his discomfort, he wasn't good at hiding it. His hands were shaking slightly, he didn't keep eye contact long enough with any of them, and he always seemed to either glance at the clock or at the door.

"Listen, we didn't know. He managed to get the discharge papers, sign himself out and then he just left." The doctor said, flustered. "He shouldn't been pushing himself like that, and he shouldn't be alone. He could really hurt himself." The door finally meet each of the men's eyes for longer than a milli-second. "I looked at the footage and he appears to have just walked out. There was no one with him."

"Get Out!" Wolf roared, and the doctor and the nurse scurried like mice from the room. The three other men shared a glance and then found themselves laughing. Only Wolf could scare away a doctor and a nurse in that kind of a fashion. They did however promptly shut up as soon as they realised that they had a very serious issue on their hands. Cub was gone, he was injured and should still be in a bed. It didn't need to be the hospital bed, but somewhere where he could rest. He also really shouldn't be alone at such a time. If he feel over badly, or passed out due to either pain or some other injury that the doctors hadn't spotted, alone his chances were bad. It had pretty much been settled in those few minutes what they all need to do. Find Cub.

"Okay, We need to find him. Pronto" Wolf said walking to the door of the room and closing it. "Fox, what I need you to do, is find out where he lived before. Eagle, I need you to find a bus route map of London, Snake a map of the underground system, and I'll just get an actual map of London. Move out" He commanded before they could say anything against it. With a nod from each of the men they moved out to find Alex. It was really their top priority. The first and only thing on each man's mind. Wolf stayed in the room. He groaned out loud. He couldn't understand why the kid didn't just trust them. They were all on the same team after all. He just wanted the kid to be safe. To be brought up and hopefully kept away from doing things that could land him in the same amount of bother he'd just been in. He didn't want MI6 to ever wait three months before finding this boy. Not on his watch. Wolf swore loudly and then punched the wall closest to him. As if matters couldn't get any worse the sky had, in traditional London fashion gone a dark grey and the rain had begun to pour.

After about an hour the rain outside seemed to come down heavier than before, but the four men sat inside at a small table in the cafeteria of the hospital. A place they'd become very familiar with over the past week. The coffee was terrible, as were the hot chocolates, but they'd found watching Cub reason enough to drink it and just attempt to be happy with it. They each picked up what Wolf had instructed, Fox was sitting with Alex's Chelsea address, Snake and Eagle with the bus routes and underground routes and then the actual map of London provided by Wolf.

"So, we are here, and Alex would want to go here." Fox plotted the two points on the map. Then looked at it himself. For the first time actually looking at the distance between the two points. "That's really quite far."

"There is a bus route that would take him from here to the nearest subway, here. The from there, he'd be able to get to Chelsea, but he'd probably still have to walk a good twenty minutes before he would actually get to his house." Snake said looking up from the map to the leader. They were at a loss, with such ground to cover and countless possibilities of how Cub could be getting home, none of them quite knew what to do, or how to deal with it. How could a fifteen year old be so stubborn? Wolf was ready to say he was downright selfish for making them, four great army men, spend even more time looking for the teen that clearly didn't want their help.

"What are we going to do?" Eagle asked, his eyes still glued to the map. He took a pencil and drew out four circles, areas to search. "If we take an area each and start looking then maybe we'll be able to find him. Although I do suggest we check his house first in case he's already there. No use for a wild goose chase if he actually managed to make it home. The three others nodded to this, and then headed out. All of them wondering why they hadn't thought to go check the home in the first place, see if he was there before starting a small panic.

Walking out to the car, Wolf was silent. All he had on his mind was the image of seeing Cub for the first time as he'd been laid out on the floor. The bruises, the blood, the skinniness. The way his chest appeared to not move. The way he'd just been limp and lifeless. It was an odd thing, since like all the other's he'd seen that before on countless occasions, but it was different when it was someone you knew and now all he could think of was how maybe they'd find him the same way. Like he'd said before, there was no way he burying a fifteen year old boy.

The drive itself was slow, the rain was pouring hard, and the traffic was slow moving. They were driving through London during rush hour traffic. As if the traffic in London wasn't already bad enough it was even worse now that it was rush hour. All they could do was sit in silence in the car, and hope to some higher power that Cub had made it home.

After what seemed like forever they finally managed to arrive outside the house. With Fox driving, he parked just in front, but had barely stopped when Wolf bolted out of the car. Seeing something the others hadn't. He was muttering under his breath and taking large strides up to the door. Sitting at the door, was Cub. Cold and shivering, dirty and wet. He was however breathing, and as Wolf dropped to his level, he just realised the boy was asleep.

"Must've passed out before he could get in the door." Fox said coming up behind Wolf. "Thank goodness he's here." Fox leaned forward and took the keys from the boys hand. He put it in the door, and opened it, while Wolf picked up the sleeping form.

"Shouldn't we take him back to the hospital?" Eagle asked as the four men, and the one teen (being carried) entered the silent house. It was a spacious home, but it was empty. There was no life and there was an air of unhappiness that was emitted from every crack in the paint.

"Nah, he'll just leave again. What's the point, if he doesn't want to stay then why should we make him," Fox answered with Snake nodding along with him. "If Alex wants to be home, then let's just let him have this. He's been through enough he doesn't need four army guys dragging him back to hospital. We'll just keep an eye on him, and hope for the best."

"I agree, Now, I'm gonna put Cub to bed, Eagle, Snake, why don't the two of you go to the supermarket and buy some food, Fox you want to stay here and just clean up with me. Once this guy's in bed." Wolf didn't leave any room for people to answer before he headed towards the stairs up to where he assumed Alex's room would be. Sure enough at the top of the stairs, the first room, had an old dusty picture of a younger, happier looking Alex and some girl. He pushed opened the door with his foot and stepped inside. The room was life most other teens that he'd ever come across.

Pictures littered the walls, the cupboard in the corner clearly old and not chosen by the teen. It had clothes hanging out of it, that had gather dust. On the desk were books, school books piled high, with one open lying on top of a notebook and a pen. Had Wolf not still had Cub in his arms then he would've looked to see what was being written. Clothes were on the floor as well as a few empty glasses, a skateboard, a karate belt. It was a side of the spy that he'd never seen before. He was sure they'd all never seen before. The part of Alex that was still a boy.

Wolf put Alex down on the bed. He changed his shirt into one less wet ignoring all of the angry looking cuts and the terrible looking bruises. He then took off the boy's shoes and jeans. He was then careful to not wake the boy and he put the bed covers around him. He was desperate to not wake Cub, but the boy was for the first time in a long while in a very deep and natural sleep. Wolf was glad. Alex had been through enough already. He deserved it more than anyone.


	7. Home Videos

I apologise for the huge wait! But, I'm now solely dedicating my spare time to this story so expect better/quicker updates.

This is a little on the short side, but it's all I wanted for this chapter!

Please Review if you liked it! Or you can tweet me what you think emilyfuego!

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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><p>Dark brown eyes fluttered open as a slowly rising sun streamed intense light into the teenager's room. There was a calm about the morning, a simplicity. As people in neighboring houses arose for the day, whether that meant going to work, or just being at home, it was early enough for those people to enjoy the sun rising over the great city of London. Over the polite neighborhood of Chelsea. The teenager who was lying sprawled eagle on a very untidy bed, bed sheets entangled around different limbs, blinked serval times in rapid succession to bring clarity to his blurred vision. There was an intense pain in the boy's side and he couldn't understand. More simply he just couldn't remember how he could've done anything to cause that much pain to his side. Slowly the teen untangled himself, and slid his entire body under the bedspreads and duvets. He wasn't quite ready to get out of bed, the morning too early, the pain too much. He wanted the pain to subside, most of all he just wanted to go back to sleep. However as he closed his eyes in an attempt to return to comfortable sleep, bit by bit memories came back. Alex Rider reopened his eyes. The last thing he remembered from the previous day, was taking a small break on his porch. He didn't remember getting to bed, or how he had changed his clothes. It was an odd thing, since none of his neighbors would dare get involved with Alex, they knew him as that trouble teen, away for weeks even months at a time, and apart from that he quite literally had no one. So unless in a sleepy haze he managed to get in the house up a flight of stairs, get changed and then get into bed then he could see no other of it being done. Alex knew his sleepy hazes, and he knew he couldn't have done that, at most he would've gotten to the sofa in the living area. It made little sense to the teen. Though, lately nothing made much sense to the teen.<p>

It felt like that dream he'd recently had, one his mind had faded into a blurry picture he thought hadn't happened. Maybe the other world had just been what he'd hoped for. An inner battle between giving up and staying strong. He didn't know. Suddenly he thought of something, what if I'm dead and this is my afterlife. Pretty crappy afterlife was the thought that followed. Of course if he was dead it meant he could be with his family. With the people he cared so deeply about and lost. All the ones he'd lost and would, in life never get back. The world he'd seen before he was sure he'd awoken. Alex sat up and got off the bed. He pulled off his sweat soaked t-shirt and stood in front of the only full length mirror in his room. All the scars, cuts, and fading bruises were still there. The old scar, from where he'd been shot and the ones from most recently. His chest was still a patchwork of different colours, and all the bones stood out. His collar bone, the rib bones not covered by the bandage, hip bones. He stared at his reflection, this couldn't be the afterlife. Not when he looked how he did. In his dream it had been perfect. There had been no scars or bruising, he looked like a normal teenage boy, who went to school and had many, many friends. He wasn't too skinny, and he hadn't been too fat. Everything had been just right. Now, in this reality nothing was right. As he stood still, more pain ebbed it's way back in. He had been able to ignore the throbbing from different parts of his body, but no more. Pain was the only other thing he could feel at that point in time. Pain and shame. How had his life become this mess? Why he asked himself, why couldn't he have just stood up against MI6 when they had first approached him. Said no, walked away and just lived with the consequences of that. He probably wouldn't have lost so much. Jack, would probably still be alive.

Leaning into the closet the teen grabbed a t-shirt and slipped it on. It was a plan grey t-shirt that fit him loosely. He had bought mere days before he'd been taken, a small present for himself. It had fitted perfectly then, now, three months down the line it looked huge on him, around his arms and his chest. There was no denying that a lot had happened over those three months. More than just several hundred beatings. He pulled off his trousers from the previous day and grabbed a new pair from within his closet, however this time he spent no time looking at his reflection, he turned around and faced away. It was something to see his top half naked but he could deal with the bottom as well. His legs were just as bruised as his chest, but something about that made him more self-conscious. Instead he slipped on his jeans without once sparing a glance at either his legs or his reflection.

The sound of a huge crash filled the quiet room. Half way in the process of putting on his jeans, Alex stopped. He stood perfectly still, the brown eyes fixed on the door. Slowly he finished putting his jeans on. He walked over to his table and reached underneath beside the closest leg to the window. He felt around for a brief second and then clasped what he needed. With a gentle tug, he pulled a large army issue knife from under the table. His left hand tightly clasping the handle. The emotionless eyes never leaving the closed door of his room. The sound of something smashing in the room below him made Alex race forward. As quickly and as quietly as he could raced down the stairs and into the room where he'd heard all the noise. The door to the living room was closed. He could hear movement from within the room. He took a few steps back and then raced forward, kicking the door down with his foot. The door swung open and broke from the sheer force of the kick.

"What the fuck!" Came a loud angry voice. Alex was standing in the room staring at the now angry Wolf who stood metres away from the door, still shielding his face from whatever had just happened. Though he didn't quite yet understand what. Alex just stood the knife raised, poised to attack. Just as he realised he may have jumped to conclusions, Fox, ran into the room, quickly followed by Eagle and Snake. Alex couldn't help but wonder why they were there. Last he remembered he'd ditched them at the hospital. How could they find him or know where he lived.

"What are you doing here?" Alex demanded, not changing from his fighting stance. "Tell me!"

"Cub," Ben paused, "Alex, you disappeared from the hospital, I am your legal guardian, well, I will be. I told the Bank, and they informed me of where you lived while not away. I thought you might come back here, so before we searched all over London we came here. We found you, asleep on the door step."

This was all a little hard for Alex to comprehend, but it seemed to make sense. It was explain how he'd managed to get to bed, and changed and yet had no recollection of that happening. That was not what annoyed him, what frustrated him more than anything was the fact they were in his home. He had worked so hard over the years to keep his home hidden, his sanctuary, even if they'd known where he'd lived, the chances of him letting them in was slim, if he was aware of what was going on, they wouldn't be in his house. While had had many bad memories of his home, he couldn't quite shake the place. He'd spent his whole life in the place. Every single time something bad occurred this was the one place he'd always been able to count on. He wasn't about to just give that up, not now when all he wanted was the solitude the place brought.

"Out" His tone was low, menacing, his knife hand still raised, he look at the now confused men in front of him. "I want you out. NOW!" He took a stepped forward, and all four men backed away slightly, but Wolf, Eagle, Fox and Snake were SAS men. They were strong, they could easily if they worked together over power the youngest in the room. He was injured, he was still very weak, and even all the theatrics was making him tired. He wanted to curl up on the sofa, stare at old photos and just let everything else slip away. MI6, Scorpia, the last four months, all of it disappearing from his mind in a second. Having these men in his house was not going to help him get that.

"Alex, we're not leaving. You can't look after yourself, you're a teenager." Wolf took a tentative step towards him. Raising his hands slightly as he did so. He meant no harm to the teen. He just wanted to show that it would be hard to get them all to leave. He also didn't actually know Alex's age, that had been left out. He figured now that the boy could be no older than fifteen, sixteen at most. Yet, he looked like he was old, seen a lot, been through more than one war. He could feel Ben tugging at his sleeve he figured now, leaving for a little while wouldn't be too bad. Give the kid room to breath, stay on watch.

"Get the fuck out." Alex as he spoke in an annoyed tone, threw the knife, directly hitting the wall beside Wolf's head, between Wolf and Fox. The army men needed no further telling, Alex was angry and upset he was tired of being watched he needed some time alone and they were willing to give him that for a little while. Slowly the four left the room and then the house. Alex was breathing rapidly, he was shaking he realised, after months of being treated like dirt he had just treated the four men who'd helped him in so many ways. Alex yelled out, venting his anger, his frustrations. Why did having to readjust have to be so hard? He didn't want to be like them, and yet he had been. He knew that maybe in a few days he'd have to apologise, all the men wanted to was help and all he did was shoot them down.

Walking to the nearest couch, Alex took a seat. He placed his head in his hands, and bowed his head. How could he have reacted in such a way? Why. Alex felt tears prickling his eyes. He rubbed his eyes furiously and willed himself to not cry. He was a spy, emotionless, cold, alone. Honestly, Alex was tired of being a spy. He was fifteen, he'd been on many missions, he'd saved the earth many times and yet it had taken them three months to find him. He was tired, he didn't want to continuing doing something where he was appreciated. Where his safety wasn't a top priority. Sure he knew the risk but he was kid, someone should've been there to say no. He stood up and walked solemnly to the kitchen. He was surprised to see that it was clean, he'd left it in a mess. The cupboards and the fridge had been restocked. The guys.

Alex was a spy first and foremost. As much as he grew tired of it, there was no way of saying that it didn't come completely naturally to him. Just sometimes he became so involved in being the young spy that he forgot to be just Alex when dealing with people from that world. K-Unit, had since his waking in the hospital been nothing but nice to him. They were offering to do so much for him, and all he could do to repay them was tell to get out. It had been a shock and he loved his home but it now felt wrong what he'd done. He felt stupid, he felt like a child. He'd acted like a stubborn child. He knew K-Unit probably wasn't too far away. They were fully grown army men who knew what to do in this kind of a scenario. He got himself a bowl of cereal, filled it, added milk and then walked slowly back into the living room. He didn't want to sit in silence, instead he got up and went over to the dvd and video shelf. One of the first things he noticed was the video with the writing, _Home Video - Alex, aged 5_. Alex had never been one to spend much time watching tv, he had no idea what was on the tape.

Feeling more than a little sentimental and overall just worn out, Alex turned on the TV and put in the video. He waited while it rewound to the beginning of the tape and then he pressed play. The first few seconds were the beginnings of a Tom and Jerry cartoon that had since been recorded over for the purpose of home videos. As Alex stood wondering if the tape was blank, he suddenly found himself looking at a five year version of him laughing as his uncle brought the camera closer to his face. A little somber smile found it's way to Alex's face. He retreated backwards, and sat down on the couch. Simpler times. A younger looking Jack was smiling in the background, every so often glancing up at the camera holder.

"Hey, Alex! Alex! Tell the camera what your doing." The sound of his uncle's voice filled the room, it was this sound that brought the first few tears. He was eating his breakfast trying to keep his composure. He watched as the curious young eyes of the boy looked up at the man behind the camera.

"It's my birthday! I got paints! I used my fingers." Came the much higher pitched version of his voice, as the young boy held small, paint messy hands up to the lens and grinned as he did so. The smile so wide you could see he was missing one small bottom tooth.

"What have you painted Alex? Show your uncle what you've painted" Jack asked down on the floor beside him, looking at the picture then at the young boy. By this point, the much older Alex had forgone his breakfast and was now lying on the couch staring at the screen. The brown eyes glistening, as every so often a few tears fell alone. His makeshift family. The woman who'd just stayed, who'd been with him for as long as he could remember. He figured this was the first year they'd had her. He couldn't believe she was gone now. He couldn't believe his uncle was gone. He needed them. He couldn't continue doing this alone.

"I drawn home, can you see that uncle? Looked, there's the street and there the house. And the sun is shining like it does in sumner. Do you like it?" The young boy looked away from the picture and up to the man in front of him. He smiled at him as Alex could see the camera moving, his uncle was nodding.

"I love it! We have a little Picasso on our hands. Go stick it up on the fridge!" His uncle said. The camera followed the young boy as he excitedly ran from the room and headed into the kitchen to put up the picture. The Alex lying on the couch, had made no motion to stop the tears now. His small frame was shaking from the tears, he could barely make out the screen but hearing his uncle's voice and Jack's laugh had reminded him of how much he missed them. How much he simply missed the sounds of their voices. That while he was grateful for K-Unit, all he wanted was his family. His uncle, Jack, his parents. People who he could call mum, dad. People who weren't there because there was no one else left. The video changed, it was a bright day, once again the camera was focused on Alex, again, aged around five, in a uniform slightly too big for him, with a huge grin, and eyes filled with wonder and worry.

"You ready for your first day Alex?" Jack's voice filled the room. "It's a big day, you scared?"

"I'm not scared. I'ma big boy. Look how tall I am." Alex said in a childish boasting tone. Standing on the tips of his toes. He had his little backpack on a his hair was under control, the one and only time. He tugged on the straps of his bag and his eyes looked down at the floor. "I'm a little scared."

"Alex, don't worry. You'll make plenty of friends, and you'll be the smartest boy in the class. You will be amazing" Jack reassured him. Placing a comforting hand on his shoulder and moving the camera briefly so she could kiss the top of the young boy's head. Alex, the fifteen year old spy had fallen asleep. It had been an exhausting morning, and lying down hadn't helped things. But, he'd fallen asleep to the sound of Jack's laughter, a sound he sorely missed.

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><p>Hope you liked it, remember to reviewfollow/favourite! 3


	8. What Now?

So, here is the next chapter. Longer than the last! Hope you also enjoy the quick update!

Favourite and review! Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

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><p>"Fucking stubborn kid" Were the first words spoken by Wolf as the four army men left the house. None of them had expected Alex to welcome them happily into his home, but they had also not expected a knife to be thrown. According to Fox or Ben, Alex had been living alone for a little while before everything had happened, before he'd been kidnapped. The kid could probably look after himself, he'd probably do a much better job than some adults might, but he was a teenager, young and alone. He had no one. No real friends who probably didn't believe he was dead, and no family. The four men sat down on the steps of the teen's house were all he had left. None of them could quite process what had gone on in the house. They were all worried it had only been a week since they'd gotten him back, the boy was strong and resilient, that much was certain but he was still young and weak. He wasn't really ready to be completely alone. Doctors orders said he wasn't meant to be anyway. Doctors however didn't quite realise they were dealing with a teen spy and not just another kid who had a terrible experience.<p>

A car drove along the street, the windows reflecting the sun's rays into their eyes. It was too early for all this drama. They hadn't really gotten a good night's sleep, how could they? Wolf most definitely hadn't, he'd tossed and turned on the couch unable to get the mangled, bloody body of the teen out of his head. All he saw when he closed his eyes now was the limb body of Alex Rider. He might not have treated the kid too well in the brief time they'd met, but he was just a kid. No matter how much of a spy the kid was, that was no way of treating him, he was just a kid. Fox hadn't slept much better. He had this recurring dream, a nightmare, that cause him to wake up every night and struggle to get back to sleep. It was the scene from Carlisle, only he was alone no K-Unit as back up just himself. Dressed in normal clothes walking through the empty halls. Everything was the same. The continuous tapping of water dripping to the floor, the grime on the walls, the eeriness. Then he would hear the scream. Alex screaming in the dream caused him to run. He ran until he reached him. In the dream, he smashed open the door with his foot and made his way in. Like in the reality he cut Alex loose from the chair and lay him down on the floor. However, each time it got to that point, there was no heartbeat, his crushed chest didn't even slightly rise or fall. He was left staring at a dead Alex. Every injury was the same, every bruise, burn, gash was the same that only difference was that instead of a barely alive Alex there was a dead Alex. Each time he had this dream he would awaken in a sweat, a watery feeling in his eyes. He knew now that if that Alex had died, his dreams would be so much worse, although how they could be escaped him.

"What are we gonna do?" Eagle asked, it was hard to know what to do in this situation, you had a lethal, emotional teenage spy who wanted to be alone, and four army men, not quite sure as to how to deal with a tempermental teenager. None of them had kids, and they didn't know what to do. The night before they'd all imagined that the next morning everything would be fine, they hadn't accounted for the crash, or the smash. They hadn't though that Alex would come running down from his bedroom, and brandish a knife at them, which then became lodged in the wall. They didn't know Alex, and they didn't know teenage spies, those were two topics not covered in Special Operations classes. Teenagers were not meant to be used for such situations and yet here was Alex his job being a spy at fifteen.

"We can't really do anything. We have a few options. We could march back into the house, and force Alex to deal with us being around, which could end with either him lashing out at us, or just running off, and in his state he'd probably end up dying cold, alone, hungry and in some ditch. That is not what we want or we could have a couple of us sit on the house, make sure he's protect, and we know where he is at all times, and another couple of us go to MI6 to fast track the adoption. That way he has to deal with us but we can also show him, that we can be on the sidelines if that is in fact what he needs more. There but able to not be too around if he needs that" Ben was the only one with any previous experience with Alex, he knew that the former of the options was not what they wanted. He didn't want to lose Alex.

Alex deserved a long, happy, life and unless they tried their best to help him, he wouldn't get it. The kind of life he lived now and before everything wouldn't give him it. Fox would put his foot down with MI6. He looked over to Wolf, while Ben was the spy of the small group of men, Wolf was the leader of K-Unit and he was the one who had the final say, who made sure that everyone knew what they were doing. It would be odd, if Ben would be the one to really start telling everyone what to do. Wolf looked to his teammates and nodded.

"The latter seems like the best thing to do. Right, Eagle, Snake, I need you both to stay here, Keep a watch on the house, make sure no one goes in or out. Don't let Alex know, don't let him see you." Wolf instructed. He turned to Fox, "You and me will be going to see MI6, and deal with this idiotic mess."

The four men nodded and headed off in the direction they needed to be. Eagle stayed at the front of the house, while Snake headed round to the back. The perimeter of the house was what he needed to get. The first step in ensuring that no one could leave or enter without either himself, or Eagle knowing. They then settled into the car they'd driven to the house the previous day, the only place they could run surveillance without being noticed. Setting up a small watch that would change and vary as the day went on. Mostly so no person would be able to guess it and sneak past. They were highly trained, and no matter their faults, or at times childish antics, they were extreme good at what they did when it came down to it. They didn't make the mistakes that the police, or regular men might make. They knew how to avoid them.

Wolf or James, and Ben headed towards the nearest underground. It was easy to walk down the street at a quick pace. They were pretty far from where they needed to be, but neither man wanted to get into a taxis. While both exhausted, they didn't want to have to deal with the rush hour traffic, or deal with MI6 too early on. James was barely keeping his anger at bay. His anger had been building up slowly since finding Alex almost a week before, but knowing that the poor kid had been so freaked that they'd been in his house, and would rather run the risk of being alone and hurting himself that letting people help him was the last straw. Teenagers were meant to run around, go out drinking with friends, try new things. Or just stay up in their rooms for hours on end, coming only out for food. They were meant to have that life in their eyes most adults lost. Like they were invincible. Alex didn't have that. In his brown eyes, the light was gone. He was younger than them, and yet appeared older. What sane adult, puts a kid into a world like that. Into a world, where they are very like to get very seriously hurt, or killed.

Ben had a little less anger than Wolf, he'd worked with Alex. Knew how the kid worked a little more. It didn't make things easier, but it didn't make things as hard to understand. Alex was a fiercely independent boy, and in his worry, Ben had forgotten that about that. It was hard to see past the bruised and broken teenager, when he looked in such a state. Any person would forget the spy underneath that no longer trusted, well, anyone really. Alex had always been a source of concern for the elder spy, it hadn't been right in his eyes. A young fifteen year old active spy, but watching Alex work had been eye opening. The boy might be young, but he was a natural. It came easily to him. As if being a spy was a part of him rather than just his job. It wasn't just something on the side that he did, it was almost as much a part of him as the blonde hair on his head was. It had been a mistake to have been in the house at the same time as Alex. All four of them. In hind sight he realised they should've slept in the car outside and dealt with Alex and what they were going to do in the morning. Not bombarding him. It would've been overwhelming for him, if he'd been in that situation. Best that is the nature of life, not being blessed with the ability to know how to avoid things.

"You think Alex will be all right on his own?" James broke the silence between the two men as they pushed their way through the morning crowd and down to the underground. James knew that Alex was more than capable of looking after himself, but the boy was hurt. There was only so much that he could do by himself.

"I trust Alex, he should be fine." Ben replied, only very briefly looking up at James as they continued down to the right underground line. It would be a busy one, considering the time and how close to the business centre of London they were going. While most would claim that a conversation about a teen spy wasn't one you could have in such a crowded place, Ben had learned, sometimes a conversation in plain sight was the most hidden kind of conversation.

"What about internal bleeding? The doctor said they got most of it, but to watch out for it? What if he collapses, and no one is there?" Wolf said as they walked onto the very crowded carriage, having to duck his head and squeeze in so they could fit in.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you care for the boy. I've never seen this side of you Wolf" Ben was attempting to lighten the mood. He hadn't ever seen Wolf be seen this concerned about anyone who was either himself, or any of the team members. This joke was greeted by a hard punch to the arm. Wolf laughed slightly after, along with Ben, it was good to have a small joke.

"Shut it. I'm concerned for Alex. I admit it. He's grown on me. Plus, I will be in no way responsible for him dying." Wolf looked down at the little amounts of ground that could be seen in the crowd of people on the subway. The two men fell silent. There was small amounts of conversation on the underground, the noise of the train too loud to continue conversations. A tired teen was listening to his iPod, music loud enough for others to hear. A woman was sitting in the corner, baby held against her, trying desperate to get the child to sleep. Business men and women, mothers, fathers, kids. Everyone heading into the center of the city. They had no idea that on a regular basis someone would be trying to destroy their free world. That over a year before, one man had almost infected the whole school population of England with a virus that would have brought the country to it's knees.

The two army felt out of place. They always did in crowds like this. No one had any idea what on earth was going on. They were oblivious to the wider world, and the dangers it possessed. A young girl was falling asleep on her father's lap. The father was stroking the long hair of the girl. You could say what you wanted about how MI6 treated Alex like he was nothing, but if it wasn't for Alex, if it wasn't for people like him, the world would be a very different place. Alex was a hero. The title of hero did however come with a price.

For, as they were standing in the subway, their hero, Alex was lying on a couch in his house, tears in eyes wishing it could've been someone else. Wishing it hadn't been him who had been given the task of helping the people of the great nation. How many heroes actually had everything they wanted? How many heroes were actually happy? Wolf eye's were stuck on the father with his daughter, he could never imagine having children. Not just from the lack of a partner, but more from the fact that he knew what the world was like. How could he ever put a child out into the world that had so much evil in it.

"James?" Ben said, tapping the younger of the two on the shoulder and motioning that this was their stop. Ben had not thought too hard about his surroundings. He knew better than to do that. Ben was a spy, he didn't think about things like how little the general population knew about the world around them. The men got off the train and headed up to ground level. Pushing their way through the slowly moving crowd. No sooner had they done that, but they were faced with the large grey building that was MI6's cover. A huge bank, that had the least amount of activity at the door. While most of the surrounding buildings had steady flows of people entering, the MI6 building had one or two people go in at most. It would be suspicious to people who knew what they were looking at, but since most of these people were happy to believe the lie they'd been fed. Not many would actually notice what went on in the building.

James looked to Ben and gave a small nod. It was now or never. They had to deal with it, before they went to back to Alex. James just hoped that the visit would return them with what they needed. Ben just was deeply wishing that his friend didn't lose his patience at the people they'd be dealing with. There was a difference in the way army men could be emotionless, and how the spies and heads at MI6 were, this would be the show of it. Spies were emotionless inside and out. Not caring was the primary for them. Not just showing no care, but really not caring. It was easier to see how Alex got mixed up in such a world, and why he lived like he did when you saw the people he had to deal with in this building.

The entrance of the bank was nothing grand. It was plain, hiding in plain sight the biggest international secrets that the country could have. Only those with access knew the building, knew why it was like it was. There was a security desk, and reception. Ben with James trailing slightly behind him, walked up to the desk.

"I'm here to see Blunt. Regarding Rider." The man behind the desk, who hadn't actually looked up to see who it was nodded and the made a motion with his hand to be allowed through. It would appear like there was a lack in security, but that was the illusion, cameras littered the area, if the cameras didn't set off alarm you were good. Then the lift required a swipe pass that only employees had. If you lost it, that was it. It was pretty hard to come back after that.

In the lift, Ben turned to a clearly nervous James and put a hand on his shoulder. He didn't how to phrase it nicely. Please, don't freak out. Don't hit anyone. Don't do anything. Was what he really wanted to say, but he couldn't really say that. He had to take into consideration James and how he would feel being spoken to in such a fashion.

"James," Ben started, but almost as soon as he had, James lifted a hand and waved away whatever he was going to say.

"Don't. I get it. Behave, anger to a minimal." Wolf looked at his friend. "I know what I have to do."

With that, silence fell upon the two men again. They didn't really have much else to say. They had to worry about how to approach the heads. How to tell them politely that they needed to know why it had taken so long for anyone to be called in, why Alex was living alone, what they planned to do about the teen spy. More importantly, if they would have problems handing over parental rights to the army men. To Ben and the rest of K-Unit, the only ones seemingly left who cared more about Alex the person than Alex the teen spy.

In Blunt's office, the head of MI6 was sitting waiting, He knew that they would come. He hadn't expected it to be so soon. His right hand Mrs Jones was standing beside him. Ready to step in if things appeared to get out of hand. She was sure that they wouldn't but, it might just happen. Blunt was a stubborn man with only the interests of the country in his mind. It didn't matter who he sent into the line of fire. Mrs Jones had long since argued against the use of the boy in the field. But, it was a battle she always lost. The boy was a real asset, one little problem was not going to change that.

There was no knock, just one minute the two were standing in silence and the next, two men marched into the room. For a moment they stood at the entrance of the room, and stared at the two other in the room. As if there was a mutual understanding about why they were there. Mrs Jones was a lot better at reading people than Alan Blunt was. She could tell they were both angry. She was slightly happy that Alex appeared to finally have people who cared about his well being, though no one would ever be tell that. She was a spy, the best in her day. Being cold and emotionless came naturally to her.

"What can we do for you, Agent Daniels, Wolf?" Mr Blunt motioned them forward as he spoke. His voice laced with boredom, knowing what this conversation would entail. Knowing what ever was to follow would not be an interesting conversation.

"I think you know sir. Alex." Ben said walking forward, with Wolf lagging behind slightly. "This morning, we came to realisation that the boy lives alone."

"Well, yes. His guardian is dead and there was no room here, and the Beacons was not an option. Here, he is close at hand for whenever we need him." Blunt stated very matter-of-fact tone. In the head of MI6's mind there was no other reason for having him so close. He was a great and useful asset. Having him somewhere other than London would not be a good idea for them. "But, you already knew that."

"Yes, we did. We think Alex is very capable of looking after himself. However, he's a teenager. He can't get another job. During the times he's here with no mission and just at, he has no other income. If this continues, he starves since he wouldn't be able afford food." Ben said, he knew that he was trying to get custody of Alex, but it wasn't really proving easy. They seen the state of Alex's cupboards upon arrival at the house the night before. Next to nothing. The boy had been living alone for over a month before he'd disappeared. Ben had wondered before going to sleep what the boy had done for food.

"He gets an allowance, £15 a week." Mrs Jones interrupted. It wasn't much, but the boy was 15 years old, they didn't really trust he'd spend the money wisely. It was the government money, they couldn't just throw it at a teenager and hope he made the right decision with it.

"Fifteen? That's it?" Wolf blurted out, his anger really beginning to build up. It was one thing to have to live alone but on so little. No wonder the cupboard had been empty. Wolf was glad they'd gone out to the local twenty-four hour Tesco and bought all the things necessary for a person to live off, and more. After a week of hospital food, they expected him to be hungry. He hadn't thought that the food they'd bought would be the best food the teen spy would've seen in months.

"It's more than enough." Blunt had grown bored of the conversation to the point where he was now reading through documents that sat on his desk. He looked up very briefly at a very angry Wolf.

"He'd starve. The boy's fifteen, it's no where near enough. You'd let him fucking starve!" Wolf had been about to start on a rant about his concerns of how little money they were planning of giving the teen spy, but Ben shot an annoyed glance in his direction and that got him to be quiet.

"I'm serious about wanting custody of Alex. I'm not around a lot, but it's what he needs. So, either you let me do this, or I go to every newspaper and tell them all about the teen spy you use for your own benefit." Ben knew his threat would mean nothing to the man, but it was worth a try, if they considered trying to improve Alex's life.

"Look, ask Alex, if says yes, we'll happily agree. In fact give him options, one, he stays in the custody of MI6, things stay how they are. Two, you get custody and you become responsible for him. Or three, he goes into the foster care system." Mrs Jones took over from the head of MI6, who believed he had better things to do that listen to two army men. She didn't believe the threat was real, but she thought it wouldn't hurt to play along.

"Fine. We'll ask." Fox said, he was about to turn to leave, when he noticed Wolf was ready to say something. He hoped to God that it wasn't something that could make things worse.

"Just answer me this, do you care at all about him? He's fifteen for goodness sake, and you talk about him as if he's not even human. It took you three months to find him. Three months. Were you just not looking? Or did you know where he was and just did nothing for three months?" His word were met with silence. "ANSWER me!"

"No, we don't care about him. He is an asset that is all. No, we did not know where he was, but we had more pressing matters, which came first. Tell Alex, to rest up, because we need him back in the field by the end of the month" It was Blunt who spoke, his voice showing no interest or caring, but he always did enjoy someone yelling at him while in his office. Wolf seemed more annoyed at the answer than anything else. However, Ben sent an apologetic smile to the two before forcibly pushing James out the room before he could do anything else. They walked to the lift in silence, and left the building in silence.

"WHAT the HELL was that?" Ben yelled the moment they were out the door. He had told the younger of the two to keep calm and he very clearly hadn't. Sure, it had annoyed him too. Alex was his friend, and the way they talked about him as if he meant nothing wasn't inspiring. But they weren't dealing with normal people, they were dealing with spies, and spies had secrets and ways of doing things.

"I don't know, I just lost it. Alex is a human being. A person. Fifteen fucking pounds a week is no way near enough." Wolf said. "What if he doesn't pick to be under your custody?"

"He'll pick me. Alex knows it's the best option." Ben assured him. But, Wolf didn't seem confident in that.

"Yeah, but what if? Alex will starve, look at him. It wouldn't take much. I won't just stand by and let MI6 indirectly kill a teenager." Wolf met his friend's eyes. He had never felt strongly for someone. He didn't want to one day learn that Alex had died because of something as minor as because he didn't enough money for substantial food.

"He won't. James, have some faith in the kid. He'll make the right decision. Now, wait here and I'll grab the papers from my desk. Do not go anywhere."

* * *

><p>By mid afternoon, all of K-Unit were piled into the small car, watching the house. There had been little to no movement in the house all day, and all four men were worried. Sure, they assumed that Alex had probably gone back to sleep but there was a part of all of them, that was sure that Alex had accidentally caused himself another injury. They were all just waiting for the right time to go back in to the house. Wolf was growing very impatient. He just wanted to get of the car mostly. The sun was still high in the sky, but it was beginning to get pretty cold. None of them had eaten during the day, and were all thinking of the food they'd bought for Alex. Ben had filled in the rest of the unit on what MI6 had said regarding the teen spy. The two had seemed worried about Alex, but not to the same extent as Wolf had been. He'd mumbled something about not letting a kid die on his watch. No one had argued or gone against that.<p>

Finally after what felt like forever, they were finally decided that going in was a good idea. The four men got out the car and walked back over to the house. Wolf took the lead once more, and as he reached the door first, knocked loudly. They stood in silence, and grew worried as there was no response. Wolf knocked again, louder, and still there was no response. This made Ben worried. He walked in front and unlocked the door using a key he'd borrowed before leaving that morning, knowing that it might just be useful. Very quietly the four walked into the house. Nothing seemed to have moved since they'd left. Nothing appeared touched.

Slowly they enter the main living area, and it was then they noticed the grey screen of a finished tape when no one had pressed stop. Wolf took the first few steps forward, and then he noticed the lump on the couch. A tiny body was lying across the couch. Soft snores being emitted from the boy's lips. You had to listen incredibly hard to realise it was coming from the sleeping form, you had to listen closely to even hear it. Wolf sighed as he took in the sleeping form. Slightly curled up, t-shirt riding up displaying the small of the boy's back, and part of the stomach. A hand under his head, the other hanging loosely over the edge of the couch. It was somewhat adorable, but at the same time, in his sleeping form Wolf, and the rest of K-Unit were reminded of what the teen had been through. Bruises, cuts, how thin he was. Wolf didn't want to be the one to wake up the teen, but he knew he had to. The kid needed to eat.

"Eagle, take the bowl, empty it out, Snake, go help and then go make something for dinner. For five people. Fox, you get the knife out of the wall, and I'll rewind the tape, and then we can tell him," Again each man nodded and went about his task. Wolf picked up the remote and rewound the tape. Surprised to see what was on the video. A much younger looking Alex. Five years old, no more. He stopped rewinding and pressed play. The laughter of a young boy filled the house, Snake, Eagle, and Fox and turned to look. It was hard to imagine the teen as anything other than a spy, and yet here he was, five years old, carefree, and laughing like a normal kid. They all shared a small smile, at least for part of his life he had been normal. As normal as normal could be. A stirring and groaning sound from the couch, forced Wolf to stop the video, and rewind it like that, more quietly without the images flashing on the screen. He turned round and watched as Alex appeared to be awaking from his dream.

The sound of laughter, had brought out Alex out of slowly drifting sleep. He'd been waking up for the past ten or so minutes, but this was what truly brought back to the land of the living. It had been an incredible sleep. He'd not slept that well in a very long time. More like, it had felt like forever since he'd slept that well. He opened his eyes, and was greeted with the sight of Wolf. He glanced around slightly and saw the other members of K-Unit. He groaned slightly but didn't say anything regarding it. If Alex was honest, he was pretty pleased to see them. He thought he'd pushed his luck with how he'd treated them before. He sat up slowly and a wave of dizziness washed over him.

"Alex?" Fox said tentatively, as he walked over to be next to Wolf, who then took a seat on the table in front of the couch. Alex nodded and then closed his eyes over. The first wave of pain hit him hard. He'd not felt it while sleeping, and he hadn't felt it right until his body had truly begun waking up. He hadn't had any medication since the previous day, and he was feeling this effects of this. He gripped onto the couch, and took very deep breaths until the pain subsided.

"So, what's the verdict?" Alex asked, his voice was shaky and low. Strain, mixed in with just having woken up made his voice like that.

"You have three options. One, you continue living how you did before all this. That is alone, here with the money that MI6 gives you, but with no adults what so ever. Two, foster care, or three, you agree to me and Wolf, becoming your guardians. We're away a lot with the nature of our jobs, but we'd help provide for you, protect you. You could even still live here. Wolf and I would move in here, and be your guardians." Fox spoke slowly, he was now nervous about the choices. It was why he put the one he wanted Alex to pick last. It was the best option, but he hoped as the last on, he'd remember it more.

Alex hadn't expected that. He had expected there to be another mission, for him to have to heal in the field, it had happened before. He had thought that maybe he'd get sent for more training, or have no choice in the matter at all. The fact he could actually chose was a first from MI6. Now, faced with the choice he didn't know. With foster care, there was the chance of escaping MI6 completely, but he didn't like the sound of foster care. He had never liked the sound of it. The first option seemed like a good idea, he liked living alone but he'd been struggling to make the money stretch far enough. The last option was the one he could see working well, but he didn't want to get close to people he'd probably end up losing.

"Well, I don't want foster care. Living alone was good but" Alex stopped, he didn't really want to go into those nights his mind had cast back to. "I want to stay here, in this house but I don't want to be alone. So, where do I sign?"

"So, you want us as your guardians?" Wolf asked unsure if he understood what Alex was saying. Ben did understand better. He pulled out the form, Alex needed to sign. It was only one, which had been given to him from MI6 to ensure that Alex had agreed to living with Fox and Wolf, and to not be under the custody of MI6. He handed it over to Alex and then gave him a pen.

"It's my best option." Alex replied with a shrug. He smiled slightly and signed where he needed to. He looked back up at the men. "So, What happens now?"

* * *

><p>Thanks again! Review if you liked! Until next time.<p> 


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